The Journey of Aura: Kalos Saga
by AuraCaster
Summary: Aura's dream was to make the world a better place for both people and Pokemon, but upon meeting his partner, his dream meant something much more. Follow Aura as he travels across Kalos with his new friends and family, guided by Arceus along the path of destiny to learn who he is, and to prepare himself for the darkness that threatens the very balance of the universe itself.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to The Journey of Aura. A few things I should mention before resuming, this was the first ever time I had ever written something even remotely close to an actual story, and because I had absolutely zero experience and was totally ignorant when I started, the first few chapters were godawful quality. However, overtime I taught myself more and more about proper writing and it helped me drastically improve overall.**

 **I know many of you will skip over this, but I had come back to revise these early chapters and fix them to hopefully make it a little easier to draw in the readers. They will still be lower quality than the later chapters I will admit, but only because I just can't waste all my time trying to entirely rewrite them from scratch.**

 **The Journey of Aura will be around five or six sagas with each possibly being it's own seperate story on the website.**

 **Although this story does contain lemons, they will not be an overly common thing, due to my main focus being the actual development of the story's plot and characters, while fluff on the other hand, will be quite frequent.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Journey Begins**

The morning sun shined brightly as the beautiful sounds of bird Pokemon singing filled the air. Everything was peaceful, and it was the perfect day for a new trainer's dream to finally begin.

In the small town of Vaniville, a seventeen year old boy snoozed away in bed; however, that peaceful slumber was about to be interrupted. The boy's bedroom door opened wide as a tall woman walked in, her hair was an even brown and her eyes were a calm light blue. She stepped towards the bed and sighed, putting her hands on her hips and clearing her throat.

"Aura, time to get up!" She said, slightly raising her voice.

Still half asleep, Aura just let out a groan and rolled over with his back to her. "Not now, Mom."

His mother crossed her arms and huffed. "I told you to go to bed earlier last night, didn't I?" No response. Glancing around the room, she took notice of the blanket partially hanging off the edge. With a sly smirk, she took the sheet in her hands and ripped it from the bed to reveal the slightly pale teen lying underneath in his shorts. Although, other than causing Aura to let out a tired groan, removing the blanket didn't seem to do anything. The woman sighed again, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance, "Y'know, Aura. If you don't hurry up then you'll miss the bus to Lumiose City." She groaned.

Finally she got a reaction from the soon-to-be trainer as he let out another tired groan and slowly sat up. "Alright, alright. I'm getting up." Aura rubbed his tired, royal blue eyes and yawned as he stretched to relieve the tension in his muscles.

"Good. Now hurry and get ready. You're breakfast is downstairs on the table." With her hands on her hips, she walked out of the room and into the hall, leaving Aura to get ready.

Aura let out a sigh and reached over to pick up his glasses. The boy swung his feet over the edge of the bed and slowly stood up, tiredly dragging his feet to his dresser where a set of clean clothes waited on top, taking it all and walking to the small bathroom down the hall. Setting his clothes on the counter and making sure the door was locked, Aura stripped down and stepped into the standing shower. As soon as he turned on the water, he stepped back as it started off a bit chilly but quickly warmed up, making Aura let out a content sigh as he began washing himself.

After a few minutes he finally shut off the water and stepped out, grabbing his towel and drying off his thick brown hair as he walked to the sink. He wiped the steam from the mirror and smirked at his reflection, thinking of the time he spent toning up for his journey. If he was going to be spending probably a good year traveling, he may as well be ready for it. Finally getting dressed in his usual white t-shirt and blue jeans, he went back to his room and grabbed his backpack, which had already been packed with the essentials, and headed downstairs for breakfast.

Reaching the base of the stairs, Aura turned the corner into the kitchen. He cheerfully smiled as he saw the orange and black striped dog sitting on the floor happily eating from a bowl of Pokemon Food. Aura kneeled down and pat the Puppy Pokemon's head, "Morning, Kibbs. Sleep well?" He asked, standing back up and walking around her to the table

The Growlithe paused and lifted her head, "Somebody sure seems excited." She smirked at the human, receiving a similar smirk in return.

"Well why wouldn't I be excited? I finally get to start my journey today. And a year earlier than I would've back in Johto." Aura sat down at the table with a plate of neatly stacked pancakes set in front of him.

Kibbs nodded, "It is a bit unfair if you ask me."

"What do you expect?" Aura's mother sat down across from her son, "Kanto and Johto have been having issues with Team Rocket for as long as I can remember. But here in Kalos they're isn't any huge issues like that, so it's a bit safer to travel." She took a sip of her coffee and looked at her son, "By the way, have you decided on what Pokemon you're going to start with?"

Aura bit into a piece of toast, "Honestly, I don't really know. I spent some time looking into different Kalos Pokemon but I'll probably just decide when I get to the lab. It is an hour long bus ride from Aquacorde Town to Lumiose City, so I've got plenty of time to think about it."

Finished with her food, Kibbs came to the table and used one of the chairs to boost herself up, "Well I'm sure you'll make the right decision, right, Darlene?" Kibbs looked to Aura's mother, who set down her cup and smiled.

"I have no doubt about that, after all," Darlene paused to look at her son, "Aura has always been great with Pokemon."

Smirking to herself, Kibbs puffed up her chest. "Maybe because I helped you raise him. Since that day you brought me home from Ilex Forest," the Growlithe's smirk shrunk as she looked down in sorrow, though still sounding thankful as she spoke, "I may have lost my family back then, but I was lucky to be given a new one." She looked back to Aura with her smile returning, "Aura's like a son to me now, and I'll always see him as one… Even if he is a human." She let out a short chuckle.

Aura smiled at her, "Very funny, Kibbs. But you do have a point, even if you're a Pokemon, I'll still see you as a second mother to me."

The puppy smiled, rubbing a tear away with her paw, "That means a lot to me... I hope you do well on your journey." He returned the smile, thanking her before finishing the last of his breakfast.

With a satisfied sigh, Aura stood up and brought his dishes to the sink then headed to the door. Slipping on his shoes and securing his backpack, Aura looked back at Darlene and Kibbs with a loving smile. "Looks like I'm off." He walked back to them and quickly pulled his mother into a hug while Kibbs rubbed her head against his leg.

Darlene pecked her lips against her son's forehead. "Good luck, Aura. Do your best out there." She let him go and they both looked down at the Growlithe who pawed at the boy's leg.

There were a few tears in her eyes as she smiled up at him, "Make sure you stay safe out there. And please call us every once in a while?" She hicced, holding back from getting over emotional.

Smiling back and nodding, Aura kneeled down and rubbed the fire-type's head. "I'll make sure of it. Love you guys." Darlene bent down and embraced the two, her and Kibbs repeating Aura's words in response and wishing him luck on his travels.

Stepping back to the door with his bag slung over his shoulder, Aura gave one last smile as he looked back at the two who raised him and opened the door. With a confident nod, Aura walked outside and down the path through the yard, Kibbs and Darlene standing at the door waving as their son, biological or not, turned the corner and headed down the road towards the main gates of Vaniville Town.

* * *

With the distance between Vaniville Town and Aquacorde Town only taking roughly twenty minutes on foot, it wasn't long before Aura arrived in the small town. He started walking down the large staircase to the town plaza and quickly headed off down one of the streets toward the bus station, knowing it's location thanks to the few times he had come to the town since it had the closest Pokemart to Vaniville Town.

After a few minutes of walking, Aura finally made it to the large blue building he was searching for. A ton of buses were lined up in the parking lot, but one that was parked just outside the entrance had the words "Lumiose City" in bright yellow scrolling across a screen above the windshield. Feeling a wave of excitement, Aura hurried aboard the large vehicle with his ticket in hand.

Once he had stepped up the stairs and slipped his ticket into a translucent box by the driver, Aura made his way down the narrow aisle in search for an open seat, finding one rather quickly near the middle and sliding over to the window.

Having noticed the large clock atop the station's roof earlier, Aura peered out the window to see there was still a good while before the bus would depart, so to pass the time he decided to go through his bag once more to make a mental list of everything he already had, and of everything he had either forgotten or still needed to purchase once in Lumiose City.

Not really paying attention to the time at this point, the sound of the bus' engine roaring to life startled him a bit as the vehicle soon started down the road; however, he hadn't realized someone else had boarded just a few moments before the bus had took off, and they were currently walking down the aisle in search for a seat of their own, stopping when they reached where Aura sat.

"Mind if I sit here?" Aura looked up from his bag with a Potion in his hand, seeing the slightly shorter boy standing in the aisle. His hair was a dull black that looked recently washed, and he had slightly tanned skin with light brown eyes.

Aura shrugged his shoulders with an awkward grin, "Nah, I don't mind. Go right ahead." Scooting over a bit to make room, Aura let the stranger sit down as he resumed to rummage through his bag.

There was a few minutes of silence between the two until the stranger decided to break the ice. "Sooo… You're starting a journey too, huh?"

Aura paused with a roll of bandages in his hand, looking over to the boy with a raised eyebrow. "Actually, yeah. How'd you know?" As the words left his mouth, Aura sighed as he set the bandages back in his bag, "Let me guess, it's all the stuff I have in my bag, right?"

He shrugged with a smirk, scratching his cheek awkwardly, "Well, yeah. But mostly because I've got more or less the same stuff in my bag too." The boy lifted his green backpack, which looked much bulkier than Aura's as he pat the front of it.

Aura leaned back in his seat and smirked, "Huh, well we've still got at least an hour or two before we reach Lumiose City… My name's Aura by the way."

The stranger nodded with a large grin, "I'm Daniel, but just Dan is fine."

With a friendly smile, Aura returned his attention to his bag, but decided to start some small talk about their similar interest. "So, Dan. What's the reason you're going on a journey? Not to pry or anything, just wondering."

Dan took a moment to think, quietly humming to himself with his hand on his chin. "I'd say the reason I wanted to go on a journey was to learn more about Pokemon so I can become a great Pokemon Doctor. I care a lot about Pokemon, and I want to do whatever I can to help them." He faced the floor with a sigh, "I will save her," he muttered.

Aura leaned forward a bit, "Uh, what was that?" He asked.

Dan flinched and rubbed his head, "Sorry, just thinking about something. Anyway, now I'm curious about your reason to go on a journey."

Aura crossed his arms and looked out the window with a smirk, starting his detailed explanation as if he had been practicing it.

"Just like you, I also care about Pokemon and want to do what I can to help, but in a much different way. I've always hated how so many people will treat Pokemon like they're nothing more than some kind of tool or slave only meant to compete in battles. There are so many Pokemon that are abused by their trainers, sometimes even killed, all over something stupid like losing a battle. Some even being abandoned like a piece of garbage." Aura tightened his fists as he thought of the selfish and careless acts humans have done to mistreat Pokemon.

Now thinking about it himself, Dan looked down in empathy as Aura continued.

"I know I'd be putting Pokemon through the same battles so I can earn badges and enter the League, but I'm not doing it for fame or fortune, I mean yeah those would be great, but winning isn't what I'm after. It's the chance to prove that real power comes from the bond a trainer shares with their Pokemon. So long as I make it far enough to prove this to the world, then I'll be happy." Aura suddenly flinched and began to awkwardly rub his head. "Sorry for ranting like that. I do it when I feel really passionate about something."

Dan shook his head, "Don't worry about it. I'm actually kinda glad you feel that strong about Pokemon, gives off a good vibe, y'know?"

Aura nodded, "Thanks for that. I've always felt more connected with Pokemon than I would with humans, usually spent more time with them too so I'm just excited to finally start my journey."

Dan leaned back and smirked, "You and me both." Dan paused for a second and looked at Aura. "Hey, why don't we travel together for a while?" Aura glanced over curiously. "Usually trainers will travel in groups to make things easier on everyone, not to mention it's not as lonely. Plus we could help each other reach our goals. So what do you say?" He asked, offering his hand with a friendly smile.

Aura tapped his chin and thought about it. It would be useful to have someone to travel with, considering he didn't have a clue about the region other than the few things he'd picked up over the past few months, so coming to a decision, Aura returned Dan's smile and took his hand, "Alright. Looks like we're companions now." He affirmed.

"Sweet, I'm glad I was able to catch the bus before it left, otherwise we probably wouldn't have met... and I would've had to travel to Lumiose alone on foot."

"Yeah, and I'm glad I just so happened to be organizing my bag when you arrived." They both gave a short chuckle, and started talking about a few other things as they waited to arrive in Lumiose City.

* * *

Shortly after passing through the gates to Lumiose City, Aura and Dan made haste to gather their things before stepping off at the nearest stop to the Professor's lab.

"It's finally time to get my first Pokemon." Aura started off in the direction of the lab, but he stopped once he noticed his new friend wasn't following. "Dan? Aren't you coming to the lab?"

Dan looked up from the yellow device in his hands, "Actually I have something important I need to do first," he started walking in another direction, "I'll meet you at the Pokemon Center afterwards, okay?" Receiving a quick "okay" from Aura, Dan continued off down the street while Aura stayed back. Shrugging it off, Aura continued towards his initial destination. He pulled a slip of paper from his pocket with an address written on it, paying close attention to the street signs until finally spotting the large building.

Passing through the open gate and approaching the front door, Aura took a quick breath before pushing his way inside. The lobby was quite large with a large red carpet spread across the floor. Further back in the middle of the room was a circular desk made of polished mahogany. A woman with dark blue hair and a white lab coat sat behind the desk typing away at her computer, she looked up as the sound of footsteps caught her attention. "Oh, good morning. Is there something I can help you with?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah. My name is Aura Borealis. I'm here to pick up my starter Pokemon?" He explained.

The woman tapped at her computer, letting out a quick "ah-ha" as she looked back to Aura. "You're the boy who recently moved to Vaniville Town from Johto, correct?" Aura nodded. "Looks like your Trainer ID is already registered in our database so that should make things go a bit quicker." After typing a little more, the woman nodded and stood from her chair. "Alright then. I'll go fetch the professor for you. If you could just wait here I should be back shortly." She gestured toward a nearby wall that was almost entirely made of glass similar to a greenhouse. "If you'd like, you can choose from any of the Pokemon in that habitat to be your starter. They were all selected to be given to new trainers so pick whichever one you'd like." With that, the woman walked off down a hall and left Aura to himself.

Taking the woman's advice, Aura quickly walked to the large window and peered inside. He could hardly believe his eyes as he gazed upon the expansive habitat in front of him, seeing many of the common starter Pokemon other regions along with other, less common Pokemon that weren't normally considered to be a 'starter'.

As Aura watched the many Pokemon going about their lives, he found his eyes wander towards a small yellow fox Pokemon sitting alone next to a nearby bush. For some reason, Aura found it impossible to look away from the fox as it seemed to be staring right back at him. He couldn't understand why, but as he gazed into the Pokemon's shimmering red eyes, he felt something very strange he had never felt before his whole life, almost like a spark, telling him that their paths were always destined to cross.

Still staring at the yellow and red fox, Aura was too entranced to realize someone walking up behind. Aura jumped as he felt a hand pat his shoulder, turning around to come face to face with Professor Sycamore.

The professor scratched the back of his head. "Sorry if I startled you there. Guess you were to busy watching the Pokemon to hear me coming." Sycamore stepped beside him and looked out upon the Pokemon. "So I assume you're the new trainer?" Aura nodded, too entranced with the fox Pokemon cautiously sitting in the grass before them. "Well then I hope you give the Pokemon you choose a good home. Some of the ones you see here had gone through a lot before we found them, but we wanted them to have the chance to live a happy life instead of being stuck in a lab forever." Sycamore shook his head, "Sorry, I got a bit carried away there. You probably want to pick your Pokemon and be on your way."

Aura smiled, "It's no problem. I actually already decided which one I want." He gestured to the fox and warmly gazed at it. "I'd like to have that Fennekin as my partner."

Sycamore leaned in a bit closer and noticed the Fennekin intently staring back at them. He could see the fear in it's eyes as if it were about to run, but to his surprise it remained still and continued to watch them. He straightened up and rubbed his chin. "Huh. This is a bit peculiar."

Aura looked up at him confused. "What do you mean? Is there something wrong with it?" He asked, for some reason feeling panic suddenly rise in his chest.

"No, it's not that. You see, that Fennekin is actually quite timid and is afraid of humans. She doesn't let people get close to her without running away, so the only way we can actually feed her and check her health is with a select few Pokemon she seems to trust, and even then she's still very cautious." Sycamore put his hands in his pockets, "What I find strange is that she hasn't run away yet. She has let some of the new trainers get closer than others and will sometimes sit and watch as they pick their Pokemon, but she will normally run and hide from most of them. It's almost like she's waiting for someone in particular." He glanced down at Aura who was still staring at Fennekin.

"Do you know why she's like that?" He asked.

Sycamore sighed, "Like I said, some of the Pokemon here were found after going through some hard times, and that one is no exception. It was roughly ten years ago that one of our research teams came across the bodies of two Delphox deep in Santalune Forest. From what we could tell, they were both opposite genders so we assumed they must have been her parents since she refused to leave their side even with humans so close." He let out another heavy sigh. "She spent almost seven years in special care before we decided to move her here, hoping that one day a trainer would finally be able to give her a better life outside of the lab."

Aura looked at Fennekin with sympathy, knowing the trouble she's been through for so long only making his decision even more certain. "That settles it. I choose Fennekin as my starter!" He stared deeply into her eyes. "I don't know why, but I can feel something strong between us when I look at her. And even then I can't just leave her like this, I feel like I might be the only one who could actually help her… Like I'm the one she's been waiting for."

Sycamore decided not to question it since Aura seemed dead set on taking Fennekin. "Alright then, I'll go fetch her Pokeball and a few other things for you. Be right back." With another sigh and a small smile, Sycamore left the room and returned shortly after with Fennekin's Pokeball, five empty Pokeballs, and a Kalos Pokedex preregistered with Aura's information. Aura thanked him as the professor opened the glass door to the habitat and allowed him inside as Fennekin quietly watched.

Approaching her slowly, Aura knelt down in front of Fennekin and reached out his hand. For a moment Sycamore thought Fennekin would run off like normal, however he was surprised to see her let him actually touch her head and slowly pet between her ears.

Fennekin could feel her instincts telling her to run, however a much stronger force told her this was always meant to be, and in a strange way she knew it was true. The warmth she felt within herself as the boy came close and touched her head, she finally felt safe and free from her worries. Feeling much calmer with him, Fennekin allowed the trainer to lift her into his arms and carry her back out through the door.

Impressed that Aura had so easily managed to get so close, let alone pick up and carry the timid fire-type, the professor was truly amazed with the caring trainer and was confident that he would give all his Pokemon a good home. "Promise me that you'll take good care of her and let me know if any problems come up, okay?"

Aura nodded. "Thank you, Professor. I'll make sure nothing happens to her," he paused and looked at Fennekin, "even if it kills me." After setting Fennekin's Pokeball and the extras in his belt and stashing his Pokedex in his pocket, Aura exit the building and started off in the direction of the nearest Pokemon Center. As he walked down the street, he kindly looked down at the Pokemon in his arms. "Don't worry," he began in a soft voice, "I'll do whatever it takes to help you get through this. No matter how long it takes, I'll always be there for you."

All this left Aura with many questions. Though he had never seen this Fennekin in his entire life, he somehow knew that she felt the exact same thing he did the moment their eyes met.

Fennekin shifted her weight, resting her head in the crook of her new trainer's arm, "Thank you," she whispered.

This was no coincidence. This was destiny.

* * *

 **Thanks to all who stuck around to the end of the first chapter. I know this seemed like one big exposition dump but I wanted to make sure the main protagonist was properly introduced.**

 **If you wanna see other stories written by me then check out my profile.**

 **Until next time. ~Aura**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Beauty of a Diamond**

"Thank you." Fennekin whispered as she lay peacefully in Aura's arms. Hearing her gratitude put a smile on the trainer's face, however he was still curious about why he could already feel a strong connection with the fox despite never meeting until only a few minutes ago.

Deciding to put off those thoughts for the time being, Aura looked down at the small Pokemon resting in his arms. "You don't really need to thank me, Fennekin. I just want you to be happy."

Fennekin suddenly looked up at Aura surprised and curious. "You can understand me?" She asked, wondering if what he said was just a coincidence.

Aura smirked, finding her reaction to be quite adorable. "Mmhm. It may be hard to believe but I can understand everything you say. I guess you could call it a gift." Fennekin continued to stare at him completely speechless. "If you're wondering why or how I have this ability, I honestly have no idea myself, but for as long as I can remember I've always had the ability to understand Pokemon so I just accepted it and moved on." He told her, having gone through similar situations in the past.

Fennekin gave him a confused look, unable to think of anything else to say. Eventually she decided that it was best to just let it go for now, figuring that she probably wouldn't get a straight answer for a while, if ever. However, as she lay in her new trainer's arms, there was one question that had been on her mind since she first saw him- what was it about him that made her feel so safe?

With nothing better to do as they headed to the Pokemon Center, Fennekin had dozed off in Aura's arms. When they finally arrived at the large building Aura gently nudged the fox awake. Slowly opening her eyes, Fennekin stretched and let out an adorable yawn. "Have a nice nap?" She heard Aura ask. She looked up at him with a small smile.

"Where are we?" Fennekin asked, looking around curiously at their surroundings.

"Well, we've just made it to the Pokemon Center." Aura motioned toward the large building as they approached it's entrance, the walls were a clean white while the roof was coloured a vibrant red. Centered on the front of the roof was a large white symbol resembling a classic Pokeball, all these details making the building stand out from the rest and easy to find.

Passing through the automatic doors and walking through the decently sized lobby, Aura noticed that a small crowd of trainers were spread all throughout the room, some accompanied by their Pokemon. Starting toward the front desk, Aura suddenly began to feel Fennekin shake in his arms. "Something wrong?"

"I don't like crowds." She told him sheepishly, instinctively trying to back up and make herself harder to see. Not wanting her to feel uncomfortable any longer, Aura picked up the pace and hurried to the front counter where a woman in pink clothes stood cheerfully.

"Welcome to the Pokemon Center. Is there anything I can help you with?" She greeted with a short bow.

"Uh, I was wondering if there were any single rooms available? I'd like to rent one for the night."

"Certainly. We still have quite a few rooms available so that shouldn't be a problem." Nurse Joy turned to her computer and briefly started tapping at the keyboard. Next to the monitor, a black device quietly beeped as a yellow light blinked on. "Okay. If you could just scan your Trainer ID you'll be all set."

Aura reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, somewhat fumbling a bit from holding Fennekin as he fished out his card. Holding it up to the scanner, the black device let out a short beep and the yellow light quickly flashed green. Returning his card and wallet to his pocket, Aura gladly took the key Nurse Joy held out to him. "Thank you, Nurse Joy." He said, stashing the key away in his pocket for now.

Joy politely bowed again, "You're very welcome. Is there anything else I can help you with?" Thinking for a moment, Aura quickly asked for her to let Dan know where his room is. "Of course, I'll keep an eye out for them. Hope you enjoy your stay."

Quickly thanking her, Aura hurried over towards the staircase by the left wall where a sign hung above it reading "Trainer Suites", and ascending them as fast as he could. The sooner they were away from the crowd the sooner Fennekin would hopefully feel better. The second floor was definitely a lot quieter than the lobby, the stairs having looped around halfway up, but some of the noise could still be heard. Taking a moment to check the number on his key, Aura walked down the well-lit and decorated corridor in search of his room, stopping in front of the door marked with a brass number twelve and promptly unlocking it.

The room wasn't much, but it did look nice and was well kept, it was a fair size with just enough space for a large bed and a small sofa and chair facing a medium sized flat screen TV on a wooden stand. Shutting the door behind them, Aura set the key down on the counter as he passed the small kitchenette as he walked towards the bed, setting Fennekin on the soft mattress before taking off his backpack.

"Hey, Fennekin?" He set down his bag and sat beside her, the bed slightly creaking from the weight, "There's something important I wanna talk to you about."

Fennekin instantly felt anxious as she worried if it was something bad, however, her anxiety left just as soon as it came as something made her feel much more calm. "O-Okay? What is it?" She asked.

Aura sighed a bit and clasped his hands together, "I don't know if you already know about it, but usually when I hear Pokemon addressing their trainers, they'll usually call them "Master" or something similar, but that just makes it sound like they're basically just considered property."

Fennekin couldn't tell what he was implying, but she was still very curious where he was going with this. "S-so, what should I call you?" She inquired with a bit of concern in her voice.

Aura sighed once more, though he contently smiled and rubbed her head, "Just call me Aura, okay? I realize that I'm technically still responsible for my Pokemon as a trainer, but I don't want it to only be that kind of relationship." He looked out the balcony window and sighed. "I want you and any other Pokemon who join my-" he shook his head, "no, _our_ team to be considered nothing less than friends or family."

Fennekin's eyes widened. His words echoed through her mind, they filled her with a strong sense of dread as she were reminded of the many years she spent alone after the death of her parents, yet strangely enough his words also gave her a new feeling of hope; hope for a new family to fill the void within her heart- a new life where she'd never have to be alone like that ever again. The conflicting emotions of intense hope and dread she felt began to greatly overwhelm the small fox as tears had started to well up in her eyes. She quietly hicced and sobbed as her confusion festered inside, soon catching the attention of the human beside her. "F-Fennekin? A-are you okay?" Aura stammered.

She looked up at her trainer, surprising him with a small smile. "Y-yes, Aura. I-I'm okay. I just don't how to feel about all this. I've been alone for so long, and it feels a little strange to be in a family again."

Aura began to stroke her back, "Well you don't have to feel alone any more, because I'm here for you and I'm not going anywhere."

Fennekin sniffled, "Thank you, Aura. That means so much to me!"

He lifted her in his arms and held her close to his chest. He could feel his heart pounding. Holding Fennekin so close made him feel a soothing warmth inside like nothing he'd ever felt before. Without realizing it, time had quickly passed as the two held close to one another, neither of them wanted it to end, the pair eventually falling asleep together with content smiles.

* * *

A loud knock at the door stirred Aura from his sleep. The trainer groaned and opened his eyes slowly. "Huh?" He sat up and looked up and down his form seeing that he had fallen asleep in his normal clothes. Fennekin began to stir beside him as more knocking rang from the door. "Uhm... one second!" Aura called. He glanced at Fennekin for a moment before standing up and hurrying to the door. The movement of the bed finally woke Fennekin with the small fox yawning and stretching out her body.

Aura pulled open the door to find Dan standing in the hallway with his bag over one shoulder. "What took you so long?" Dan asked jokingly, "It's almost eleven already."

Aura held the side of his head, "I guess Fennekin and I overslept. That reminds me, you got your starter Pokemon, right?" Dan nodded as Aura stepped aside to let him in.

"Uh-huh. I decided to take a Chespin since he seemed to be pretty friendly, though he is a little rambunctious," he explained, slightly cringing as he remembered the broken lamp in his room. "A-anyways, you chose a Fennekin?" He asked, changing the subject.

Aura nodded, "Yep, she's on the… bed…" As they turned to face her, they watched the fox Pokemon shiver in fear while cautiously staring at Dan like a Deerling caught in the headlights. "Fennekin?" Aura stepped towards her and knelt down.

He heard Dan sigh from behind him, "I kind of expected this. After mentioning you to Professor Sycamore, he told me you had taken a Fennekin that was really timid and scared of people."

Aura tenderly looked into Fennekin's eyes. He reached up and gently rubbed her cheek which seemed to immediately make her relax just a little. He smiled at her, "You don't have to be scared of Dan. He's a friend and really cares about Pokemon like I do." He could feel her begin to calm down more as he spoke to her, though it also helped her to just be near Aura in general. Aura slowly picked Fennekin up and cradled her in his arms, "I know how you feel about people, but I promise you that he's a good guy."

Dan nodded and smiled warmly at her. Fennekin whimpered quietly, but with a quick glance up towards Aura and seeing him reassuringly nod, Fennekin looked at Dan and began to calm down. Dan slowly approached and reached out, for some reason Fennekin no longer felt afraid of the strange human, merely flinching a bit as he gently pet her head.

"See? Nothing to be afraid of."

Fennekin looked up and slightly smiled, "I-I guess so." Just then, everyone paused as both Aura and Fennekin's stomachs growled.

Fennekin blushed embarrassed while Aura just rubbed the back of his head and sheepishly grinned, "Eheh, I forgot Fennekin and I fell asleep last night without eating." He light knocked on his head and laughed.

Dan shrugged, "Well the Pokemon Center has a cafeteria in the lobby for trainers if you're interested."

Aura thought that would probably be a good idea if they wanted to head out before it got too late, but at the same time he remembered Fennekin's reaction to the crowds the day before. "I guess it would depend on how crowded it'd be right now."

"Well considering it's past breakfast and it's still a while before lunch, it shouldn't be too bad in there."

That didn't sound too bad to Aura, but he was more concerned about what Fennekin thought. He looked down at her and asked, "You think you can handle a small crowd for a little bit? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

The fox glanced down and though about just how hungry she really was. And from what Dan had told them, she felt it might be okay so long as she's with Aura. Looking back up, she briefly nodded with her ears swaying with her head. "I'll try… But can you keep holding me? I…" She blushed and averted her eyes, "I feel better when I'm close to you." She muttered.

Aura smiled at her, he really felt touched from her words. "Alright, so long as you're happy I'll hold you as long as you'd like." He impulsively lifted the fox up and pecked his lips between her ears, making the fox blush brighter than ever and avert her gaze.

The whole time, Dan found the whole scene a little peculiar from exactly how deeply and specific he spoke to the small fox. Though he figured it was simply an act of bonding so didn't question it any further. "Alright then, grab your stuff and let's go get some food."

On the way to the lobby, Dan told Aura about his Chespin, Spyke. Though he decided it best to keep him in his ball for the time being and properly introduce him later once they were on the road.

* * *

After returning Aura's room key, the two trainers walked into the Pokemon Center's cafeteria. To their surprise, the whole room was much quieter than they initially thought with only a few of the many tables occupied.

Looking around for a second, Aura spotted an empty booth in the far corner of the room with no one else sitting near it. Thinking it would be a good place for Fennekin, he pointed it out to Dan and they walked towards it and promptly sat down.

With how many trainers normally come to the cafeteria on a daily basis, rather than there being a menu they just had a long table against one wall with a sizable buffet spread across it. Because Dan had already eaten, he offered to watch Aura's bag while he went to get himself and Fennekin some food.

Taking one of the bigger plates from the stack, Aura walked along the line and scanned the table. Many of the food trays were either empty or were removed to be cleaned and refilled for lunch, so there wasn't a huge variety to pick from.

"Hey, Fennekin? What kind of food do you prefer?"

Fennekin blinked and looked at the food available, she had no idea what any of these foods were even called let alone how they tasted. Shaking her head a little disappointing, she gazed up at her trainer, "I don't know what all this really is, but do they have anything sweet?"

Aura tilted his head, "Don't Fire types normally eat spicy things?" He asked.

Fennekin averted her eyes to the display of food, "Y-yes, but I don't really like spicy food that much."

Not wanting to make her feel ashamed about her preferences, Aura quickly shook his head and gently squeezed her just enough to grab her attention, "Hey liking something different is nothing to be ashamed of. If you don't like spicy food then that's your choice. Personally I'm not really a fan of it either so~." Thankfully this managed to cheer her up a bit, but Aura didn't want to waste too much time and proceeded to search for something to eat, deciding to grab a few small pancakes and stacking them on the plate, and with little other options to choose from, he picked up a couple pieces of sliced Pecha Berries and set them on the side. Finally, after pouring a bit of syrup over it all, Aura made his way back to the table and set down his plate.

"Sorry for the wait, there wasn't a lot left from breakfast and I wanted to make sure I got Fennekin enough to eat too."

Dan waved his hand, "No problem."

Without hesitation, Aura propped his bag flat on the seat beside him and set Fennekin on top. He cut into one of the pancakes he got and held it out to Fennekin, "This should be plenty sweet enough for you." Sniffing the sticky substance in front of her, Fennekin put her trust in Aura and took the slice into her mouth. Aura pulled the fork back and awaited the fox's verdict. "So?"

Fennekin swallowed and happily smiled in response, "It's good." She said. Never before had she tasted anything like it, the spongy texture of the pancake mixed with the sticky and very sweet flavour of the syrup.

Aura found himself laughing at Fennekin's sudden change of attitude, maybe she wasn't quite as shy as he thought, or maybe it was simply just experiencing new foods that seemed to overshadow her timidness.

Taking one of the sliced Pecha Berries and giving it to Fennekin next, Aura cut into his breakfast more and began eating himself.

"Hey, Aura? Don't Fire Pokemon normally prefer spicy foods?" Dan asked.

Aura swallowed and cut up some more pancake, "I asked her the same thing, but she told me she preferred sweet things and didn't really like spicy food."

Dan paused and blinked at him for a moment, "Wait, she _told_ you?" He asked completely puzzled. "You mean like she maybe sounded happier toward the sweet food?"

Aura shook his head, "No I mean she told me." He gave Fennekin another bite of their food as he continued, "I know it sounds really weird and made up, but I can naturally understand the language of almost any Pokemon. I have no idea how or why I can, but for as long as I can remember I've always been able to." He took a bite himself, "I still hear their natural speech though so it's like understanding another language and being able to translate it in your head." He turned to Fennekin, "You can vouch for me, right?"

Fennekin nodded her head, though she seemed to almost be in a world of her own as she enjoyed their breakfast.

Dan leaned back in awe, "That is so surreal."

Aura shrugged, "Eh, I guess it kind of loses it's appeal when it's just been there your whole life, you know? My ability was most likely the reason I spent more time around wild Pokemon than other kids growing up." He looked at Fennekin and smiled, he took a napkin and wiped off some syrup on her chin. "But thanks to it I was able to learn real quick just how similar humans and Pokemon really are." Aura suddenly paused as he remembered something important. "Fennekin? There's something I've been meaning to ask you."

She looked up at him with her head tilted, "What is it?"

"I wanted to know if you'd like to be called something other than Fennekin? Like a proper name. But the thing is, I want you to pick a name."

Fennekin blinked at him, "R-really?"

Aura nodded, "Yep, any name you'd like. But don't worry if you can't think of one right away, I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough." The fox felt overjoyed. She nodded her head one last time, giving her thanks before impulsively hopping onto his lap and pressing against his body.

Once they finished eating and returned to the lobby, Aura paused as he remembered something he had to do. "Shit! I promised my mom I'd call her. You don't mind waiting a bit longer, do you?" He asked Dan.

He just shrugged in response, "I'm okay with it."

Aura awkwardly thanked him before hurrying to the public video phones and sitting down with Fennekin on his lap. He quickly dialed his mom's number and waited as the call pended. In a few short seconds the screen flashed with Darlene coming into view.

"Hi, honey! How are you doing?"

Aura nodded, "I'm doing fine, and sorry for not calling yesterday, I was a bit busy."

"I understand, but Kibbs was starting to get a little worried."

Aura rubbed the back of his head, "Heh, sorry, but speaking of Kibbs, could you call her over? I want you both to meet my partner."

With a short nod, Aura's mother walked out of view and called for the Growlithe, she soon returned with the Growlithe hopping up onto the counter.

"Well? Don't keep us waiting, let's see the darling!" Kibbs impatiently cried.

Aura smirked and lifted the small fox into view of the screen, "Guys, I want you to meet Fennekin. Fennekin, this is my mom and Kibbs."

"Hi," was all Fennekin could say in her shyness.

"Hello to you too, Fennekin," Darlene greeted.

Kibbs let out a small coo of adoration, "She's so adorable! I can just tell that you two will make a great team."

"Thanks, but we've gotta go, our new traveling buddy's waiting for us so I'll call you as soon as I can. Love you."

"Bye, Aura, we love you too," Darlene told him.

"Stay safe," Kibbs added.

The screen blinked off as the call was disconnected. Not wanting to keep Dan waiting any longer, Aura hurried back and they finally left the Pokemon Center.

* * *

Before they left the city, Aura and Dan had decided to do some last minute shopping to make sure they were both fully stocked on supplies. After spending roughly half an hour walking around from store to store, they were finally ready to head out to their next destination, Santalune City.

As they walked down the street toward the gate to Route 4, they passed by a shop with all sorts of jewelry on display in the front window. There were many different necklaces, earrings, and rings scattered around, but out of the possible hundreds of shiny trinkets, Fennekin's eyes had locked on to one specific necklace. It's chain was made from shimmering silver with a small square gemstone embedded within a slightly larger silver socket. It hung at an angle from the silver chain by a small loop connected at one of the socket's four corners.

Since they weren't walking particularly fast, Aura had noticed Fennekin staring deeply at the shop window. He abruptly stopped and approached the glass, "You really like this kind of stuff, huh?"

Fennekin continued to gaze at the necklace, "What is that?"

Aura followed her gaze and noticed the necklace, by shear coincidence, Fennekin's reflection was lined up perfectly with the necklace, creating a sort of illusion that made her appear to actually be wearing it around her neck.

"It's called a diamond. They're considered to be one of the strongest and most beautiful stones in the world." She continued to stare at it with a wishful look in her eyes that was all too obvious to Aura.

Setting her down, Aura walked into the shop, coming back out a few minutes later with a small black box. Fennekin watched in confusion as he kneeled down and held out the black box, Fennekin's face lit up with pure joy as Aura opened the box to reveal the necklace she had been staring at. Aura pulled the necklace out of the box, and hooked it around Fennekin's neck, she looked from the necklace to her trainer in even more confusion and glee, "You... got this for me?" Aura just silently nodded. Tears of joy began forming in Fennekin's eyes as she uttered one simple word, "Why?"

"I could see the way you looked at it, and since it looked beautiful on your reflection, I knew it would look beautiful on the real thing."

Fennekin leaped up into Aura's arms, the two locking into a happy embrace, "Thank you, Aura! This means so much to me!" Fennekin looked at her necklace with a smile, "Aura? I think I know what I want my name to be."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

With her smile still on her face, Fennekin lifted the diamond with her paw, looking at her reflection in the glimmering stone, "I'd like to be named Diamond."

* * *

 **Sorry this one kinda seemed rushed at the very end. I was growing a little impatient with the rewriting and it didn't really have many flaws that I could see right away. But hopefully the rest of the chapter makes up for it.**

 **Thanks to all of you who decided to continue reading on after the first chapter.**

 **Don't forget to check out my profile for more stories.**

 **That's all for now, thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Unlike the last two chapters which I put more effort into rewriting because they weren't as difficult, this chapter I pretty much just fixed up on some mistakes and cleaned up a majority of it… although I** _ **did**_ **kind of lose my patience while revising this chapter for probably the third time total and kind of just said "Fuck it!" halfway through. Pretty much that just means that a majority of this chapter is practically unchanged from what it was before but I at least went through and fixed some of the errors I caught.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: A New Purpose**

Finally passing through the gate to Route 4, Aura and Dan decided to go over their plan for the day one last time. Though a plan was not really necessary for simply traveling straight from Lumiose to Santalune, the two new trainers were merely excited to officially begin their journey.

Dan held out a yellow and blue device he received from his parents that had a map of the whole Kalos Region and information on each of it's many locations. As they looked over the data on Route 4, they noted it would take roughly a full day to travel through on foot, but considering it was already a little after four, they reminded themselves to be on the lookout for any good places to set up camp before nightfall.

The thought of camping out on their own was certainly exciting for Dan. "This is gonna be awesome! My parents would take me camping a lot growing up."

Aura laughed at his enthusiasm and looked down at the Fennekin he carried in his arms, "What do you think, Diamond?"

The fox smiled at him a little unsure, "I guess it could be fun?" She said nervously, not fully understanding what "camping" was, although being out of the city and back in the serene wilderness certainly had a more soothing effect on her.

With the city getting further behind them as they walked along the dirt road, they took in the scenery around them and watched the wild Pokemon happily go about their day. That was when Aura suddenly realized something. Considering how timid Diamond was, would she even be willing to battle at all?

He glanced at the fox, "Hey, Diamond?" She looked at her trainer again, "I was wondering, what do you think about battles?" Seeing the questioning look she gave him, Aura scratched his cheek and began to explain, "I just wanted to know because I'll be challenging Gyms on our journey so I can compete in the Kalos League," she looked at him a little more concerned now, "d-don't worry, I'm going to force you to fight if you don't want to, I just wanted to know if you were okay with it before we get to the gym."

Diamond felt some relief wash over her as she knew he wouldn't make her fight if she didn't want to. She looked away sadly, "I-I'm not sure if I'd be any good at fighting. I've never been in a battle before, and to be honest I'm kind of scared I'll mess it up somehow…" She felt a little guilty not being able to help him in battle, but she truly was afraid of causing Aura to lose.

Aura sighed, but he just shrugged it off as no big deal. "It's alright. I really just want you to be happy, so I won't force you to do anything you don't want to."

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted as Dan called out from up ahead, which surprised them since they never even noticed him leave their side. "Hey! I think I found a place to set up camp for the night!"

Aura cupped a hand near his mouth, "Alright, we're coming!" He called back, picking up the pace to catch up with their companion.

The campsite Dan found was near a small river with a few Pecha and Sitrus Berry bushes growing along the bank. The trainer walked into the middle of the clearing and spun around, "So? What do you think?"

Aura and Diamond looked around, they noticed a makeshift campfire in the center so clearly others have been here, but judging from the way it looked, whoever made it was long gone. "It looks pretty good," he commented, "but we should start setting up camp before it gets too dark."

About an hour later, Dan and Aura had set up their tents and got the fire burning bright. Aura had set up a small camping grill he bought before they left the city and started to prep their supper. He went over and plucked a few berries from the bushes, next he pulled out a few vegetables he purchased and began chopping them up before putting them and the berries onto long skewers to cook.

Meanwhile, Dan was about to get out some bowls and PokeFood out for the Pokemon when Aura suddenly stopped him. "Why don't we save that for just quick meals instead? I'm making plenty of food for everyone tonight, and I don't feel like it's really fair to make them eat the same thing over and over again while we enjoy a cooked meal."

Dan looked at the container of PokeFood and shrugged, putting it back in his bag for another time.

Another few minutes went by until the food was finally ready, and while Aura began to slide the vegetables and berries from the skewers into bowls, Dan took two Pokeballs from his belt and released their inhabitants. Aura was a little surprised to see he had a second Pokemon with him and wondered what it could be.

The white energy from the Pokeballs soon disappeared, revealing the Chespin Dan chose as his starter, and a pink and white Pokemon with bright blue eyes and ribbon-like appendages sprouting from a bow on it's ear and it's neck.

After briefly introducing the Chespin known as Spyke to Aura and Diamond, Dan moved on to the Sylveon that didn't look nearly as cheerful and full of life the species was known for. "This is Missy. The first ever Pokemon I caught." Dan took a little blue pill bottle and popped open the lid, he shook out a small white tablet and held it out towards the Fairy type. Missy weakly opened her mouth and let Dan place it on her tongue before swallowing the pill and leaning against her trainer.

Both Aura and Diamond looked at the Eeveelution concerned, "I don't mean to be invasive or anything, but what's wrong with her?" Aura asked.

Dan sighed and gently pet along her back, "It's a long story. When we first met a few years ago, she was so full of energy and loved playing with me. But a couple months ago she suddenly developed some kind of illness that keeps making her weaker as the days go by. Nobody knows what it is or what even caused it, but thankfully my uncle found a way delay it's effects a bit until we find a cure," he sighed, "but who knows how long that'll take."

They felt bad for the Sylveon, Aura and Diamond wished they could do something to help, but for now all they could do is give their support. Eventually everyone finished their supper and the dishes aside to be cleaned in the morning.

Dan returned his Pokemon and bid the other two a good night before entering his tent and zipping it shut, leaving Aura to put out the fire before him and Diamond entered their own tent.

Aura zipped the entrance closed and began to change into his sleepwear. Diamond blushed and quickly averted her eyes, although she did glance over once or twice, feeling her face warm up upon noticing her trainer's well toned body. Once he was changed and he set his clothes to the side, Aura crawled into his sleeping bag and sat there as if waiting for something.

He looked to Diamond and asked her, "Well? What are you waiting for?" as he pat the spot next to him.

She was a bit confused, "You mean, you want me to sleep with you?" Aura nodded and Diamond's blush grew brighter as she crawled in next to Aura; she thought about how Aura has treated her since they met, he showed so much care, but if his goal was to enter the league, why would he want a Pokemon that isn't good in battles.

With that thought eating away at her mind, she finally decided to ask him. "Aura?" He faced her while leaning on his elbow. "I was thinking about earlier, even though I wouldn't be any good in a battle, you still chose me as your Pokemon and treated me so nicely."

He looked at her and smiled with care, "When I was talking to Professor Sycamore, he told me about the day they found you. You lost your family and were all alone in the world, I could probably never forgive myself if I just left you like that. I chose you because I wanted to give you a family, to show that you're not alone in this world. I felt like I was the only one who could do that."

A small smile formed on her muzzle as happy tears built up in her eyes. She curled up closer to him, "Thank you, Aura. I'm so happy I met you." She yawned and pushed herself closer, "Can… can you promise me something?"

Aura rested his head on the pillow, "What is it?"

"Can you promise that we'll do everything we can to help Pokemon?"

Aura placed his hand on her side, "Of course, Diamond, I promise that we'll help any Pokemon in need, no matter how big, nor small, even if it seems impossible, we will never stop. Because together, I believe we can accomplish anything."

The two of them felt a soft warmth inside themselves, "Goodnight, Diamond. See you in the morning."

She sighed in her relaxed state, "Goodnight," she repeated, as sleep came to the two soon after.

* * *

Aura awoke the next morning to the feeling of something warm and soft pressed against his bare chest. He knew it was Diamond, but it warmed his heart to see her so calm and carefree as her sides rose and fell with her steady breathing.

Though deciding it was time to get up, and seeing no way of doing so without waking Diamond, Aura began to gently pet her side, making the yellow fox stir and open her eyes.

She looked up at Aura, taking a second to realize where she was, her cheeks heated up as she felt herself pressed up against Aura's chest.

"Good morning." Diamond felt an inner warmth coursing throughout her body, making her feel both happy and nervous from the close proximity, leaving her completely speechless. "Want me to help put your necklace back on?"

Diamond just nodded. Aura opened the black box and pulled out the silver chain, latching it around Diamond's neck before they got out of the sleeping bag. "You go on ahead, I'll be outside in a minute." He told her. "I need to get dressed."

Diamond didn't argue, she tiredly got up and left the tent to see that Dan was already up and cooking them breakfast. Aura soon stepped out behind Diamond, getting the attention of their friend who greeted them, "Morning guys."

"Morning, Dan, I see you've started up breakfast."

"Yeah, I was hoping we could just quickly eat and pack up so we can leave faster."

Aura didn't say anything, but he also wanted to hurry up and get to Santalune City; so, once their breakfast was done, they hastily ate and packed up before heading down the road towards Santalune.

During the multiple hours they spent walking, Diamond had been thinking about how she had been feeling lately, the strange warm sensation she feels within herself whenever she's around Aura, how he makes her feel happy and calm. She didn't understand what these feelings meant, she has never felt them before in her life, but her questions would have to wait for another day as her thoughts were interrupted by the excited voice of the human who carried her.

"I see it! Santalune City!"

The group began rushing to get to the city as fast as they could, Aura excited to finally challenge his first Gym and take the next big step towards the Pokemon League.

Right after entering the city, they searched for the Pokemon Center so they could check in and begin their training.

Once they had located the Pokemon Center, they stepped inside to notice a lot less trainers than in Lumiose's Pokemon Center, though Diamond did notice a familiar woman standing behind the counter.

"Aura? Why does that woman look like the one we saw in Lumiose City?" Aura explained to her that each Pokemon Center is run by it's own Nurse Joy and that they were all related to each other. Diamond didn't understand how that worked but she decided to leave it alone for now.

They approached the counter and were welcomed right away by Nurse Joy. "Welcome to the Pokemon Center, how can I help you?"

Aura set Diamond down on the counter and the two trainers pulled out their Trainer IDs, "Can we get a double room for a few nights?"

"Of course." She tapped away at her computer and Aura swiped his card, followed by Dan, and Nurse Joy handed them each a key, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Dan pulled his Pokeballs from his belt and held them up, "Could you check up on my Pokemon? I want to make sure they're healthy." Nurse Joy took the balls with a smile, she turned to Aura and waited for his answer.

Aura looked down at Diamond to see if she would be okay with going with her. "I guess I could go with her, she seems nice enough."

Aura nodded to her response and looked back up, "I guess I'll have you check up on Diamond too, make sure she's okay."

"Perfect, I'll just take them into the back for a basic check up then, it shouldn't take too long." With that, Nurse Joy had Diamond step onto a small cart and Dan set his Pokeballs into some divots before Nurse Joy took them through a door behind the counter.

Aura and Dan sat in silence on one of the sofas, but since their Pokemon wouldn't be out for probably twenty minutes, Aura decided he would go for a walk. "Hey, Dan? When they're done, could you let Diamond know I went out for a bit?"

"Where to?"

Aura looked out the window and shrugged, "I guess I'll see if I can catch another Pokemon outside of town. If Diamond doesn't want to fight then I'm gonna need a Pokemon that will."

Dan shrugged and unzipped his bag, "Route 22 is just to the East, why not try there?"

Aura stood up and walked towards the door, "Thanks. I'll try not to take too long."

* * *

Traveling along a wide path only a short distance away from a flowing river, Aura watched the running rapids as he leisurely strolled along. The only divider between the path and the water being a short and dense wall of bushes and trees.

After walking for a good ten minutes without seeing a single Pokemon, Aura figured he would have to try again later and to start heading back before Diamond would begin to worry. As he stopped and turned around, he froze as he caught sight of something moving by the water; it was covered in blue and black fur with a long blue tail and two black appendages on the either side of it's head, he recognized the Pokemon as a Riolu.

Aura carefully watched the Riolu as it kneeled down by the water to have a drink. While pondering the thought on whether or not to try and catch the unaware canine, Aura heard something rustling and growling in the bushes nearby. He almost fell back in shock when he saw it was a Mightyena, but upon closer inspection, it didn't seem to be interested in him, it didn't seem to even notice he was there, but rather, it was intensely glaring at the Riolu.

As he watched the Mightyena prepared to pounce on the unsuspecting Riolu, Aura remembered the promise he made to Diamond the night before, and he intended to keep it. Aura frantically searched the ground for something to use, spotting a large branch nearby and taking it in his hands. Just as the Mightyena lunged from it's hiding spot, Aura sprinted to the Riolu and stood between it and the Mightyena.

The Dark type canine paused. It skid to a halt, kicking up dirt and snarling at the human who got in the way of it's lunch. "Back off, human! Or I'll rip you apart as well!" It barked.

For some reason Aura wasn't afraid of the Pokemon's threats, something inside of himself gave him enough courage to stand and fight. "Threaten me all you want, but you're not getting this Riolu!"

The bipedal canine behind Aura watched as the mysterious human stood to protect it, an overpowering sense of positive emotions emanating from the man made Riolu feel safe.

"Have it your way!" The large dog rushed Aura, jumping at him in an attempt to take the human down with his Bite attack. Courage and valor surged through Aura as he adjusted the branch in front of himself, catching the Mightyena's jaw and keeping him away from Aura's neck. The Mightyena continued to lash out in anger, grazing Aura's chest with his claws and leaving a long gash that thankfully wasn't deep enough to cause serious damage. It still made Aura wince in pain, but other than that, he stood strong and shoved the Mightyena to the ground.

Before it could get back up, Aura pushed his foot onto it's chest and held the tip of the branch an inch away from the Pokemon's throat.

The trainer stared into the dog's eyes, his own glowing with an unnatural power and rage. "Leave now, or I will not hesitate to kill you." Aura spat, his voice sounding slightly altered. Aura's threat seemed to have gotten the point across as the Mightyena scrambled to it's feet and fled into the bushes, leaving Aura and the Riolu safe from further harm.

Aura dropped the branch and turned to face the Riolu he had just saved. It watched it's savior come closer, "You alright?" Aura asked, his voice calm and smooth.

The appendages that hung from Riolu's head rose as it began speaking through telepathy, ("Yes, thank you for saving my life.") The voice Aura heard in his head confirmed that the Riolu was male.

"You don't need to thank me, and the telepathy isn't necessary, I can naturally understand Pokemon."

Riolu grew curious about the human, what purpose did he have for rescuing him, and why did he feel so much pure power and positivity from this human unlike many others he had encountered that were full of greed and negativity. "If I may ask, what reason did you have for saving me?"

Aura rubbed the back of his neck. "To be honest, I was really out here looking for a Pokemon to catch for my Gym battle, but when I saw you were in trouble I remembered a promise I made with my partner, and so ran in to save you without even thinking of my own safety."

Hearing the pure kindness in the trainer's voice, Riolu felt at ease around him and was confident that their meeting wasn't just a coincidence. Riolu kneeled down to show respect towards the trainer like a knight kneeling before his king. "If it would not be too much trouble, I ask of you to allow me to join your team and travel alongside you."

Aura froze, he had no idea how to respond to such a request that it left him a little flustered. "You- want to join me?"

The Riolu nodded but otherwise didn't budge. "Yes. I have been wandering alone for many moons since the death of my pack. As the only survivor there is nothing left for me to return to. However, I knew there was a reason for it, so I've searched and let fate be my guide, and I feel now my search is complete."

Aura felt bad for the Fighting type, losing everything you once knew and loved would be hard for anyone. "Alright, if you really want to join me, you can." Riolu felt a burst of joy and excitement, but kept his composure, "But first, do you have a name?"

Riolu shook his head, "No, I have not chosen a name for myself yet."

"Well, I want all of my Pokemon to have a name, it wouldn't feel right just calling them their species. Is there anything about you that might lead to a good name?"

Riolu thought for a moment, "I recall the pack members calling me "The Prince" because of my father's role as pack leader."

"Then why don't we call you Prince? I personally find it fitting." Aura suggested.

The name rolled around in Riolu's mind for a moment before answering, "Very well, I shall now and forever be known as Prince. Thank you, Master."

Aura held up his hand, "Please, just call me Aura."

Prince stood and looked up to the trainer, "I am sorry, Master Aura, but I wish to call you this to show my gratitude and loyalty to you."

Aura sighed, still not content with being called "Master," but felt like he wouldn't be able to get Prince to stop any time soon. "Alright, if it really means that much to you, I'll let you call me that." Aura unlatched an empty Pokeball from his belt and tapped Prince on the head, absorbing him inside in a flash of red light, it shook once and dinged, signaling a successful capture.

* * *

Diamond sat on the couch next to Dan, who was currently reading a medical book, as they waited for Aura to return. Dan had informed her that he just went on a walk and would return soon, but she couldn't help but worry.

Her ears perked up when she heard the sound of the automatic doors open, she turned and was overjoyed to see the familiar trainer who took her in. The Fennekin leaped off the couch and sprinted to Aura, leaping into his arms and nuzzling his cheek.

Aura winced as her body hit the scars on his chest, "What's wrong?" She looked down and gasped, only now noticing the three large gashes in his chest that were dripping with blood, "Aura?! What happened?!" She panicked.

"Oh, it's nothing," he said, trying to avoid the subject.

Diamond didn't look convinced, "Aura, what happened?!" She asked again.

The trainer finally sighed, "I got into a fight with a Mightyena."

"Why would you do that?!" She shouted at him in a worry fueled rage.

Dan heard the angry yips and barks of Diamond and came to investigate, "What's going on?" He asked, noticing the gashes in Aura's chest, just past Diamond's body, "Holy shit, what happened to you?!" His question went unheard as Aura continued to speak with Diamond.

"Diamond, I did it for a good reason."

"And what reason is that?!"

Aura plucked the Riolu's pokeball from his belt and held it up, "I did it to save his life." Diamond and Dan watched in silence as he expanded the ball and released what resided inside.

The ball shot out a flash of white light, fading to reveal a bipedal Pokemon with blue and black fur standing in front of them. Diamond looked at Aura, her anger faded and replaced with guilt for lashing out at him, "I-I'm sorry, Aura. I was just worried."

Aura spoke with the same kind voice he always did, "It's fine, Diamond, now why don't you introduce yourself to our newest member, Prince." Aura set Diamond on the floor to meet Prince, while Dan approached Aura to ask what was going on.

Diamond slowly approached Prince, "Um, hi, I'm Diamond," she said quietly.

Prince bowed, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Diamond, but might I ask what is troubling you?"

She sighed, "I was angry at Aura for getting himself hurt... but I didn't know he did it to save you…" she lowered her head, "I'm sorry."

Prince walked towards the fox and pat her back, "It is alright, I know you worry that Master Aura might be mad, but I assure you, he isn't."

This caught her interest, "How would you know?"

"I can sense emotions, and you're not the only one who feels guilty, Master Aura feels the same way about worrying you."

Diamond didn't know what to say, Aura still felt bad about worrying her, even when she lashed out; meanwhile, Dan was asking Aura about his scars and his new Riolu.

"So you saved him from a Mightyena?"

"Yeah, and after that he wanted to join my team."

Dan gave him a thumbs up, "That's pretty cool of you, taking on a Mightyena with just a stick. I could never do that."

Aura chuckled, "Yeah, but he still got a good hit on me," he pointed out.

"Speaking of which, they might not be very deep, but you should probably get those checked out so they don't get any worse."

It suddenly hit Aura that he hadn't even bothered to cover the wounds, he felt so much adrenaline that he had completely forgot about the gashes. He thought they would have bled a lot more than they did, though he did begin to feel a stinging pain in his chest, and he couldn't feel very much blood at all coming from the wounds but still felt a little lightheaded. "Y-yeah, I'll go talk to Nurse Joy. Could you keep an eye on Diamond and Prince?"

Dan nodded and Aura walked up to the front counter, Nurse Joy gasped at the sight of Aura's chest and quickly called over a different nurse, whom led Aura into a back room for treatment, while Dan lead Prince and Diamond to the sofa to wait for their trainer.

Aura returned a few minutes later with a thick layer of gauze wrapped around his chest. As he approached the three, Diamond badly wanted to run to him and jump into his arms, but she knew that might upset his wound, so instead, she just sat quietly on the cushion and waited.

"Well, the nurse says that I'm gonna be fine, it didn't cut deep enough to cause any serious damage, I'm just gonna have a scar and feel a bit of stinging for the next couple days, then I can remove the bandages," Diamond was relieved that Aura was going to be okay, "but before we head up to our room, I gotta call my mom and Kibbs to let them know we made it to Santalune, and so I can introduce them to Prince."

Dan stood up and stretched, "Alright then, I'll meet you up in the room." With a quick wave from Aura, Dan slung his bag over his shoulder and headed up the stairwell to the trainer suites.

Grabbing his bag, Aura headed to the phones with Diamond and Prince in tow, he picked a random phone and dialed his mother, hoping her and Kibbs wouldn't worry too much about his injury. As the phone rang, Aura picked up Diamond and nudged the small seat over for Prince to stand on. Finally, the screen lit up and Darlene came into focus.

"Hey, Mom, how're you and Kibbs doing?" He greeted.

"I'm doing fine, how have you and Fennekin been doing?"

Aura had forgotten that Diamond wasn't named until after he called his mother last time, "Actually, her name is Diamond now," he corrected.

"Ah, I assume because of the necklace?" She asked, looking closely at the fox in her son's arms.

Aura nodded, "Yeah, but I called you because I wanted to let you know that we made it to Santalune City, also, I wanted you and Kibbs to meet the newest member of my team.

"Really? That's wonderful, where are they-Gah!" Darlene was cut off as she was toppled over by an orange and black Pokemon that, shortly after, leaped onto the counter and into view of the camera.

"You caught a new Pokemon?! Let me see!" Kibbs exclaimed in excitement.

Aura heard a faint groan as he saw his mother stand back up, using the counter for support, "Calm down, Kibbs, I'm sure he was planning to show us anyways."

Kibbs sheepishly grinned, "Sorry, Darlene, I'm just glad Aura's doing well."

Aura flinched and began to sweat, wanting to keep the news about him getting hurt until the end. "A-anyways, Mom, Kibbs, I want you to meet Prince." Aura stepped a bit to the side to reveal the Riolu who stood proudly on the stool.

"Daww~, he's so cute," Kibbs cooed.

"I can agree with you there, Kibbs," Darlene said, nodding her head.

"Thank you for your compliments," Prince said with a noble bow.

"And such a gentlemon as well," Kibbs said with a giggle and a faint blush.

"How did you meet Prince?" Darlene asked her son.

Aura gulped, he began to explain how he met Prince, Diamond listening carefully to every word along with Darlene and Kibbs, "Well, while I was out for a walk on Route 22, I saw him getting a drink by the river, but I also saw a Mightyena ready to attack him. So, I uhm..." Aura paused and took a deep breath, "I grabbed a branch and jumped in to defend Prince. I managed to scare off the Mightyena, but I..." Aura just stopped talking; instead, he set Diamond on the seat and lifted his shirt, revealing the bandages that covered his wounded chest.

"You got yourself hurt?!" Kibbs shouted.

"Y-yeah, it was just able to graze my chest with it's claws while I was holding it off, but other than that I'm alright."

"You could have gotten yourself killed!" Kibbs continued.

Both Diamond and Prince could hear the guilt in Aura's voice, knowing he made Kibbs worry about him, "I'm sorry, but if I didn't help Prince, then he would have been killed, and I would have broken a promise I made to Diamond."

Darlene put a hand on Kibbs' back, "Kibbs, please, you know he did the right thing, and you know very well that you're proud of him for doing it, even if it was dangerous."

Kibbs looked away and sighed, "Your right, I'm just scared that one day Aura might not be so lucky, I don't want to lose him."

Aura smiled at Kibbs, "You don't have to worry about me. I told you before I left that I'll have Pokemon by my side to protect me, so I have to help protect them as well."

A few tears formed around the Growlithe's eyes, "I know."

Darlene decided it was a good time to end the call, "Well we should be going now, do your best in your Gym battle."

Aura smiled, he raised his right hand, "Talk to you later."

Before they hung up, Kibbs said one last thing, "Aura. Please, stay safe out there."

He nodded, "I will, I love you guys."

"We love you too," they both said before the video cut off and the call ended. Aura stood there for a moment, then began walking to the stairs with his Pokemon in tow.

He heard Diamond sigh, "I'm sorry, Aura."

Aura looked at her, "Sorry for what? Worrying about me?"

She shook her head, "I yelled at you for getting hurt, even though you did it to save Prince and to keep your promise to me."

Aura tightened his grip on her, "You had no way of knowing I got hurt trying to save him. You had every right to be upset at me for making you worry like that. And frankly, I'm kind of mad at myself for it too." The two Pokemon looked at him, "I never want to make you worry about me like that again. I forgive your for getting upset and I'm hoping you'll forgive me for making you worry."

Diamond smiled at him and pressed herself against his chest, "I forgive you."

Once they arrived to their room, Aura pushed the door open and noticed Dan sitting at the table eating while reading his medical book. Hearing the door open, he looked up from his book and greeted them, "How'd the call go?"

Aura shut the door and walked towards the bed to drop off his bag, "It went okay. Things got a little heated when I showed them my injury, but it all worked itself out."

"That's good. I already made supper so go ahead and eat." Aura thanked his friend and got out some dishes for him and his Pokemon. They spent the next few minutes quietly eating, and after their plates were cleared and the dishes were washed, Aura noticed a red marking on Diamond's leg.

"Just a sec, Diamond." The fox curiously paused as Aura quickly knelt down and examined the mark a little closer, it turned out to be some blood that had gotten in her fur from when she was against Aura's wounds. They were hard to notice at first, but after seeing the faint streaks of blood they stood out like black on white. Diamond didn't want to have the blood on her any longer than she had to, so when Aura offered to wash it off for her she gladly accepted and followed him into the bathroom.

As soon as she was past the threshold, Aura shut the door and began running the water in the tub. Making sure it was only a few inches deep, he stopped the water and turned to Diamond, "Alright, you ready?" He asked her as he picked her up.

"Y-yeah," she said, nodding her head. Aura began slowly lowering her into the shallow water, it only reached a little past her knees, but that was just enough to make her feel relaxed in the warm water.

Aura grabbed a complementary bottle of special Pokemon shampoo and lathered up his hands. "Okay, close your eyes so nothing gets in them," he told her, she did this and then felt his hand tenderly rub against her face.

After washing her face, he began cleaning her ears, carefully washing the large tufts of red fur protruding from them, he then began to wash along the rest of her body.

"Alright, Diamond, it's time to rinse you off, so close your eyes," Aura told her as he filled a cup with some water, Diamond did as she was told and felt his hand cover her closed eyes as an extra precaution to avoid getting soap in them. As soon as she was rinsed off, Aura lifted her out of the tub, grabbed a soft towel, and dried her fur. When he pulled the towel away, Diamond's fur floofed up, making her look all poofy. She was unamused as Aura just chuckled to himself.

"Don't worry, it actually looks really cute on you." She clearly still felt embarrassed and irritated from the state of her fur, so being the caring trainer he is, Aura quickly grabbed a brush and started smoothing out her fur until it was back to normal. Once they were finished, Aura opened the door and they left the bathroom.

They saw Dan had already turned in for the night and Prince was fast asleep on the sofa across from the TV. Aura quickly grabbed his shorts and got changed before helping Diamond remove her necklace and climbing into bed. Diamond let out a content yawn and glanced over towards the sleeping Riolu. "Thanks for keeping your promise."

"Well I wasn't gonna let him get eaten by that Mightyena," he retorted.

Diamond smiled and curled up against him, "That's why I like you so much, Aura. You're such a good person and do whatever you can to help."

Diamond yawned and Aura just smiled at her, showing the caring smile she loved so much. "Good night, Diamond, let's hope that as our journey progresses, we continue to make new friends along the way," he said, letting out his own yawn.

"Good night, Aura," Diamond said as she began to close her eyes, Aura kissed her head affectionately, and they both fell into another blissful sleep.

* * *

Back in Vaniville Town, Kibbs walked into Darlene's room and crawled into the little bed Darlene got for her back when she first brought the Growlithe home.

The bathroom door opened, and Darlene stepped out in a black tank top and red pajama pants, she turned off the light and climbed into bed.

"You know, Darlene, I really worry about Aura, he can get himself into all kinds of trouble with the way he is."

The woman rolled over and looked down towards the Growlithe, "I know, I worry about him too, but as long as she's watching over him, I'm sure Aura will by just fine, she wouldn't let anything bad happen to him."

Kibbs paused, know exactly who 'she' was. "What if he finds out? Do you think what she says will really happen?"

Darlene yawned, "I can't say for sure, Kibbs, I may have known him for seventeen years, and it hasn't come up once, but I guess we'll just have to wait."


	4. Chapter 4

**During my last rewriting I actually left this chapter and the ones following to be almost entirely unchanged. I just don't really have the time nor the attention span to try and revise every little detail and mistake, so I'm just focusing on generally cleaning up mistakes and broken dialogue.**

 **So again sorry for any poor quality but I'm just glad that I can say it doesn't span the whole story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Santalune Gym Battle Part 1**

Aura opened his eyes to see he was in a white room, "W-where am I? Diamond?! Prince?! Where are you guys?!"

 **"They are not here,"** he heard a booming feminine voice say.

"Who are you?! Show yourself!" Aura shouted, looking around for the source of the voice, worried for the safety of him and his Pokemon.

 **"Over here, my child,"** the voice said. Aura spun around to see a large, white equine looking Pokemon.

"L-Lady Arceus?!" Aura exclaimed as he quickly dropped to his knees.

 **"Rise, my child, this is no time for formalities."** Aura did as he was told, he stood back up and looked at Arceus confused.

"Why are you here, Lady Arceus?" He asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

 **"I have come to you because a great disaster is destined to befall upon the world,"** she answered.

"W-what do you mean?" Aura inquired.

 **"A great evil, one that has been asleep for over a thousand years, will be re-awakened by an army of corrupted followers."**

"What?!" Aura could hardly believe what he was hearing, but he was always told by his mother that Arceus would use dreams to warn those with great power and importance about any impending disasters, so why would Arceus come to him? He was nothing special, but he had to know for sure, "Lady Arceus, why would you warn me about the disaster? What do I have that could help in any way?"

 **"You should give yourself more credit, my child, for you do, in fact, posses a great power beyond human belief. A great power that rivals the legends when used properly. A power that has never been seen before."**

"What kind of power?"

Arceus chuckled, **"Do you remember how you felt the day you began your journey? When you first locked eyes with your partner?"**

"You mean Diamond?" She slowly nodded, "Y-yeah, I felt something strong. I don't know what it was or why I felt it, but it helped me decide on taking Diamond as my partner," he paused, "did you have something to do with that?"

Arceus shook her head, **"No, I do not have anything to do with your decisions, the strong connection you felt with Diamond was nothing more than destiny guiding you along the right path."**

"So you're saying that I was meant to choose Diamond as my partner from the very beginning?"

 **"Yes, Aura. But, never forget how you felt when you first met, that feeling is the one, and only key to unlocking the true strength that resides within you, and the one you love above all others."** Again, Aura asked what she meant, **"You may not know it now, but the one you love, and the one who shares your power and fate is closer than you think, all you must do is allow destiny to guide you."**

"You still haven't told me what this power is!" Aura called.

 **"Do not fret, everything I have said will be explained in due time, but for now, it is time for you to return to the waking world. Continue on with your journey, Aura, for you still have much to learn before you are ready. And you may seek my guidance along the way, but only when you truly require it I shall be there."** Aura tried to ask another question of her, however he found himself unable to speak as the room slowly faded away in nothing, and soon Aura began to feel himself drifting off into unconsciousness.

He woke up back in their hotel room, Diamond still sleeping beside him, and Prince still on the couch, "Thank Arceus, it was just a dream, but what did she mean by all that?" He thought. Unable to return to sleep, Aura got out of bed and walked over to the kitchen to start making breakfast.

* * *

As morning came around and the sun leaked in through the curtains, Diamond opened her eyes and saw that Aura wasn't next to her; although, she smelled the aroma of cooking food and heard the sound of a sizzling pan.

Diamond stood up and hopped off the bed, walking over to the kitchen to see Aura was cooking breakfast. "Good morning, Aura," she said, with a long and audible yawn.

"Oh, morning, Diamond. How did you sleep?" He asked her.

"I slept fine, what about you?" Diamond asked as she stretched and trotted over to her trainer.

"It was alright, I woke up a bit early though so I decided to get an early start on breakfast."

Diamond sniffed the air, "It smells good," she said.

"Thanks, and it's almost ready so could you go wake up the others?"

Diamond nodded and walked over to the small sofa first, she nudged the Riolu and his eyes slowly opened, "Morning, Prince, sleep well?"

He stretched. "Good morning, Diamond, and yes, I had a wonderful rest." She let him know breakfast was ready, and went to wake up Dan.

Diamond hopped onto the bed of their traveling companion, and started to nudge the sleeping human, taking a couple minutes for him to actually wake up. "Ugh, what's going on?" Dan looked over to Diamond, who sat about a foot away.

"Aura asked me to get you up for breakfast," she said, though forgetting that Dan couldn't understand her.

Dan had no idea what the fox had said, but he had a pretty good guess, "Uh-huh, thanks for waking me... I guess." Diamond felt a bit of pride, then she hopped off the bed and walked back to the kitchen.

("Sorry for the rude awakening, Daniel,") Dan looked down at the Riolu, who stood at the side of the bed looking up at the human, ("Master Aura had asked Diamond to wake you for breakfast.")

After knowing this, Dan smiled, "Oh, okay. Thanks for the info." Prince nodded and walked towards the kitchen while Dan stood up and grabbed Spyke's Pokeball before following behind.

"Morning, Dan. Hope you didn't mind Diamond waking you, I was busy getting stuff ready."

"It's fine, I needed to get up anyways."

"Okay, now that that's settled, let's eat," Aura said.

There were two plates on the table, and three bowls on the floor; Dan let Spyke out to eat, then he sat down across from Aura at the table.

"G'morning guys," Spyke said to Prince and Diamond, as he walked over to his food.

"Good morning," they said in unison as they walked over to their own food.

"So, I heard that Aura was planning on challenging the gym soon," Spyke said. Prince and Diamond nodded.

"Yeah, but I probably won't be battling," Diamond said.

"Huh? Why not?"

"I don't feel like I'd be very useful, but I'm sure Prince can help win the badge on his own," she affirmed, glancing at the Riolu in question.

Prince politely bowed his head, "Thank you, Diamond, but, I am sure that you would do just fine in a battle."

Diamond sulked, "I don't know, I'm not very strong."

"It does not matter if you win or lose, what matters is to give it your best," Prince told her, trying to cheer her up.

Diamond smiled, "Thanks, Prince, maybe one day I'll be ready, but probably not for a while."

As their conversation went on, everyone had finished eating and Aura quickly cleaned up. "Alright, Prince, you ready to train for the gym?"

Prince bowed his head, "Yes, Master Aura."

They all walked down to the lobby, seeing only a small amount of trainers hanging around. Aura took a second to ask Nurse Joy about the Gym Leader, learning that she used Bug types to battle, and if the Pokemon Center had any special tools for training. She went into the back room and returned with a square box, Aura thanked her and they went around to the back doors of the Center.

After stepping out into the large courtyard, Aura and Prince headed towards one of the open battlefields. "Alright, Prince, since the Gym Leader here uses Bug types, your Blaze Kick will hopefully be our best bet."

Prince nodded, "Very well, how shall we begin my training?"

Aura set down the box he was holding, "We're going to start off with your evasion and speed." He opened the box and picked out one of the many Pokeball sized, pink rubber balls that were inside, then, he held out the ball for Prince to get a good look.

"If I may ask, how will these assist in our training?"

Aura smirked, "Well I hope you like dodgeball, cause that's what we're gonna do." Prince looked at his master, having no idea what "dodgeball" was; nevertheless, Prince kept silent and awaited further instructions. "I'm going to be throwing these rubber balls at you one by one, and while I'm doing that, I want you to dodge them as fast as possible. You understand what I mean?"

He nodded, "Yes, Master Aura, I understand my instruction."

"Good, now head over to the other side of the field and let me know when you're ready to start."

Prince hurried over to the opposite end of the battlefield, which was about forty feet in length, and took up a defensive stance. Since Prince's maximum range of telepathy was only about fifteen to twenty feet, he had to give Aura a visible nod to signify he was ready to begin.

Aura nodded in return, then he reeled back and threw the ball as fast as he could, quickly grabbing another and doing the same thing, repeating this process as their training went on.

Everyone watched the Riolu, his motions were quick and agile. He leaned, sidestepped, ducked and jumped, avoiding many of the balls as they hit the wall behind him, though some had managed to hit their target.

As the barrage of rubber had ceased, Prince started to slightly pant from a small amount of exhaustion, "It looks like you were hit by twelve out of the initial twenty," Aura said, as he went to retrieve the balls. He returned to his original position and called back to his Pokemon, "You did good, but now try to dodge them with your Quick Attack."

Prince nodded and took up a defensive stance once again, mentally preparing himself to use his Quick Attack to increase his speed and agility.

Aura let loose another barrage of balls, and as they closed in on Prince, he concentrated and activated his Quick Attack, dodging each ball that whizzed by him in rapid succession, he dodged many of them as he had before, but this time each of his blurred movements was followed by a white streak.

Everyone was impressed with Prince's skills, this time he had only been hit by seven of the twenty balls, though he was determined to avoid them all. Their training had gone on for another couple hours until they were both too tired to continue.

"Great job. Let's break for lunch and pick this up later." Prince bowed and followed his master to the others.

"That was amazing, you two!" Dan praised.

"Thanks, I'm hoping we'll be ready for the gym by tomorrow," Aura responded.

("Do not worry, Master Aura, I will not disappoint you.")

"Thanks, but all I ask is for you to do your best."

Dan stood up and stretched, "Anywho, let's go get lunch, I'm hungry," Dan said as he turned and walked into the Pokemon Center. Aura picked up Diamond and they followed behind.

* * *

The group entered their room, and Aura set down Diamond so he could get started on their lunch, however, she followed him into the kitchen, curious about what he would make them for lunch.

Really wanting to watch Aura cook, Diamond went over to the table and scooted a chair over to the counter that extended away from the wall, creating a sort of divider between the kitchen, and the rest of the room. She hopped up onto the chair and then to the counter, padding her way a little closer to Aura, seeing that he was currently chopping some vegetables.

Aura caught sight of the curious fox in his peripherals, and briefly stopped cutting to ask her a question, "You're really interested in cooking, aren't you?"

"Yeah, it looks interesting," she said. Aura smiled and continued to cut the vegetables, Diamond watched as he lifted the board over an open pot on the stove, and pushed it all in with the knife.

"Why don't you get Aura to teach you then?" Aura and Diamond looked to the floor, where a Chespin stood and looked up at the two.

Aura grabbed a couple leppa berries that he got from the nurse downstairs after they came in from training, beginning to chop them into tiny pieces as he answered the Chespin, "I would love to teach Diamond how to cook, but she wouldn't be able to actually do much since she doesn't have hands."

Diamond looked down, a bit saddened at this fact. Then they heard Dan call from the sofa, "That may be true right now, but don't forget about her evolutions."

Aura tossed the minced leppa berries into the pot, "That's right, Braixen and Delphox both have hands."

"Does that mean I can learn how to cook after I evolve?" Diamond cut in with her hopeful voice.

"I don't see why not, I'd actually be happy to teach you what I know."

Diamond's smile grew as she began jumping for joy, but she soon slipped on the smooth surface, and wound up stumbling towards the edge of the counter. Acting quickly, Aura reached out to the fox, catching her before she could fall to the hard floor below. Aura let out a relieved sigh, Diamond, please be more careful next time, I don't want you getting hurt."

After Aura had straightened her out, she sheepishly looked up to her trainer, "Sorry," she apologized.

He sighed, "It's alright, I know that you're excited to learn how to cook, but you still need to evolve first. So for now, why don't you just watch closely what I do, then maybe it'll come a little easier when you're ready to finally cook on your own."

She gave him a small nod, "Okay, I guess I can wait."

Aura pat her head, "That's better, and I promise I'll teach you as soon as I can." He stepped away from Diamond and grabbed some bowls from the counter, filling each of them up before bringing them over to the table, "Alright, everyone, lunch is ready."

Everyone gathered around the table, Aura lifted Diamond onto the wooden surface while Dan did the same for Spyke, so just in case they spill, the soup wouldn't damage the carpet. Meanwhile, Prince climbed onto one of the chairs, then Aura handed him and Spyke each a spoon, since they could actually hold onto them, and after a quick lesson on how to properly use the utensil, everyone had begun eating.

"Wow, this is good, what'd you put in here?" Dan asked, taking another spoonful into his mouth.

"Before we came back here, I asked the nurse if I could have a few leppa berries," he looked at him in question, "since me and Prince were exhausted from training, I added the leppa berries to give us a bit of a stamina boost, since we gotta get back to training as soon as we're done eating."

He swallowed the mouthful, "Well, it sure worked, you've gotta give me the recipe sometime, it would come in handy when treating tired pokemon."

Aura shrugged, "It's nothing special, just a basic soup with some leppa berries, but thanks for the compliment."

Lunch went by pretty quickly, with Aura thanking Dan as he volunteered to clean up so Aura could return to his training.

"What are you two gonna work on next?" Diamond asked, as they walked down the stairs to the lobby.

"Well, since I think we're good on evasion for now, we should work on countering and defending," he told her.

"What did you have in mind, Master Aura?" As Prince asked this, they had just stepped outside and returned to their previous spot, the box of rubber balls thankfully untouched.

Tapping his chin, Aura thought over Prince's moves, "I'm thinking we do something similar to the evasion training, although, instead of using quick attack to dodge multiple balls, you'll be deflecting one ball at a time with your blaze kick, and your foresight can help make sure you at least hit the ball and hopefully send it back at your opponent, or in this case, me."

Diamond grew worried about this training exercise, "But, Aura, what happens if you get hit? You're already hurt enough."

Aura kneeled down in front of the fox, "Don't worry, Diamond, I'm gonna be alright," he lifted one of the rubber balls, "the rubber used for these should be fireproof, so I shouldn't get burned if they hit me."

Diamond was still worried, "Well? Couldn't you use a tree or something then?"

Aura pat her head, "The reason for this training is for Prince to deflect the balls at a moving target, so a tree wouldn't be the best choice; besides, if I can take a hit from a Mightyena's claws, then I'm sure I can deal with getting hit by a rubber ball."

Diamond still didn't want Aura to make himself a target, so she continued to try and make the trainer reconsider, "But, Aura."

He sighed, "Diamond, I know you're concerned, but I'm sure I'll be okay, you just make sure you stay clear of the attacks, I don't want you to get hit by mistake." She looked at Aura, ready to argue with him again, but she just sighed and walked over to the side of the field.

Aura turned back towards Prince, "So, you ready?" He asked, looking for confirmation that the canine understood his instructions.

Deep down, Prince knew Diamond had a point, but he also knew that this was the only way to do this type of training, ("Yes, I am ready to begin.")

"Good, head over to your end, and we'll start as soon as you're ready." Just like before, Prince hurried to the opposite end of the field, giving a visible nod to show he was ready. The moment the trainer reeled his arm back, the appendages on Prince's head rose, and the Riolu's eyes started to glow a very faint red, showing that his foresight was currently in effect.

Aura threw the ball in his hand as hard as he could, Prince waited for it to get close enough, then he ignited his right leg and swiftly hit the ball with blaze kick. Diamond covered her eyes, expecting Aura to get hit and shout in pain, but it didn't happen. She uncovered her eyes and saw that Aura was looking behind himself at the pink ball he had thrown. A wave of relief washed over Diamond, knowing that Aura hadn't been hit.

The trainer went over and picked up the ball, "Well, you were able to hit it back, but your aim could still do with some work," Aura paused as he stared at the ball, then he sighed, "Guess we'll just try again."

Diamond watched as Aura once again threw the ball, and just like before, Prince sent it back, again missing it's target. This felt like torture to the small fox, as she feared for the safety of her trainer. Aura reeled his arm back once more, Prince had once again deflected the ball, but this time, the ball did not stray from it's intended path, it was finally on course, directly towards Aura's chest. Diamond wanted to look away, but she also felt compelled to watch what would happen.

Aura prepared himself to dodge the projectile, pushing off his left foot as he strafed to the right, narrowly missing the pink ball as it flew past his shoulder. He looked behind him at the ball, then turned back to Prince, "Nice work, that's what I like to see."

As Aura went to retrieve the ball, Diamond could help but still be afraid that Aura could get hurt, "Why can't there be another way to do this?" She thought to herself, watching as Aura threw the ball again.

As she practically screamed inside her head to do something, she hadn't noticed Dan stepping out of the Pokemon Center until he spoke up, "Whoa, that's definitely one way to train, although it does seem a bit reckless," he said, coming out at the perfect time to see Aura narrowly avoid another ball.

Having heard the voice of his friend, Aura looked over to the back doors of the Center, "Oh hey, Dan, you come to watch us train?" He inquired, retrieving the ball from behind him.

"Well, kinda yeah, but I didn't expect to see this kind of training."

Aura could only shrug in response, "Well, how else are we gonna work on hitting a moving target?" Aura threw the ball again, Prince deflecting like before, but missing his target, "Besides, these balls are made of fire resistant rubber, so I should be fine if I get hit."

"Hmm... I guess that does make sense, but are you sure there's no other way?"

"Not as far as I know, but if you have any ideas, I'd be willing to hear them," Aura paused as he walked up to Dan, whispering into his ear, "please tell me you have an idea. I don't want Diamond to worry about me, but I can't think of any other ways to do this kind of training."

Stepping back, Dan thought for a moment, "Maybe Spyke could help out? He knows a couple moves that could work as a substitute."

Not really hesitating too much, Aura nodded his head, "Alright, we can give it a shot."

Unclipping the Pokeball from his belt, Dan held it up as it popped open, the spiny nut Pokemon appearing in a flash of white light. "Hey, Spyke, you mind helping Aura and Prince do a bit of training?" Looking to the Riolu, Spyke nodded his head, bopping his paw against his chest as he gave a sound of confirmation, "Thanks buddy, since I don't really know what's going on too well right now, d'you mind listening to Aura for now?" Spyke gave another sound of confirmation.

"Thanks, you guys, this'll probably help out a lot," Aura glanced over to Diamond, who actually seemed to have calmed down after hearing Aura wouldn't be the main target anymore.

Taking a couple minutes to explain the plan, and instruct Spyke on what to do ahead of time, the Chespin now stood where Aura had before, ready to take over the training for now. Aura called out to both Pokemon, asking if they were ready, and after getting a nod in response from them both, Aura called for them to start.

Summoning a sphere of green energy, Spyke shot it towards the canine, and just as he had done with Aura, Prince ignited his leg and kicked the energy ball back at his foe, and of course, it took a couple tries for them to get it right, but once they did, Prince was deflecting the attacks with ease.

The training continued for another hour or so, and finally, Aura felt it was enough for the day, "Alright, guys, let's call it quits for today."

The two Pokemon let themselves relax, Dan returning Spyke to his Pokeball to let him rest, "You think you're ready for the gym?" Dan asked, clipping the red and white sphere to his belt.

Aura returned Prince as well, "Not yet, I'm thinking maybe a few more days of training and we should be good."

As Aura picked up Diamond, she looked up at the trainer, "Could you please promise that you won't make yourself a target again? I don't want you getting hurt any more."

He stroked her back as they walked back inside the Pokemon Center, "Alright, Diamond, I promise to be more careful." Relieved with the answer, Diamond sighed as Aura and Dan let Nurse Joy heal their Pokemon, before returning to their suite to rest for the remainder of the day.

* * *

 **I would normally have put something like "please show your support by favouriting and following the story, but I'm sure that just goes without saying. But I do appreciate feedback and receiving messages and reviews from my readers. I always read through them and respond if possible. Interacting with readers is something I enjoy.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

**At this point while revising and cleaning up these few earlier chapter, I can officially say that I can clearly feel my patience with this running very thin and I'm finding it more difficult to actually keep my focus on this any longer. So to keep it simple I'm literally just going to fix easy mistakes and probably only a small portion of the chapter. I know the quality sucks early on but it gets the point across.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Santalune Gym Battle part 2**

Within the past two days, Aura and Prince had done plenty of training in the Pokemon Center's courtyard, although he still felt like they weren't quite ready to take on the Gym quite yet. So, seeing as it was a Bug type Gym, Aura and the crew decided to spend some time training in Santalune Forest, where they were sure to encounter many kinds of Bug type Pokemon and other trainers who focus on Bug types.

At the current moment, Aura and Prince were engaged in battle with a young trainer and his Beedrill.

"Now, Prince, use Blaze Kick!" Aura instructed.

"Dodge and use Twineedle!" The bug catcher called in response, his Beedrill following the command by flying straight up, out of the reach of Prince, and coming back down with the stingers on it's forelegs poised to attack, using the momentum from flying straight down to add to the power of the attack.

"Hold your position!" Aura shouted. Prince stood there, completely motionless. The Beedrill was drawing near, and as soon as it was close enough, Aura shouted his next command. "Now use Quick Attack to evade, and then counter it with Blaze Kick!" He shouted, Prince quickly performing the action and dodging, getting ready for his super effective move.

"Fly away from it, Beedrill!" The bee Pokemon's trainer yelled, but it was all in vain as the Beedrill had gotten it's needles stuck in the ground from the power of the move, combined with the force of the momentum, giving Prince the perfect opportunity to attack.

The Fire type move hit it's mark and Beedrill was instantly out for the count. The bug catcher sighed as he returned his Pokemon to it's ball. "That was a good battle. Perhaps we'll meet again some day for a rematch," the bug catcher said, holding out his hand.

"Indeed it was, Izzy, and I look forward to that rematch," Aura replied. They said their farewells and Izzy retreated into the forest.

Aura took a long breath of the forest air. "I wonder how Dan is doing?" he suddenly questioned no one in particular.

"Maybe we should go look for him," Diamond suggested.

Prince walked up to them. "I agree, he could get into trouble out there with wild Pokemon."

"Alright then, let's go look for him," Aura said, as him and his two pokemon left in search of their traveling companion.

 **-POV Dan, 1st Person-**

"Ches, pin pin chesp!" Spyke said angerely in his natural language.

"Look, if you're mad at me for getting us lost, I'm sorry," I said, assuming he was mad at me for forgetting the map.

"Chespin, ches," he said in response. I just sighed, while looking up into the sky.

"Look, it's getting dark, we should just call it a night and see if we can find Aura and the others in the morning." Spyke sighed and nodded his head. "Okay, it's settled then." I slid my backpack off of my shoulders and began to take out the supplies to set up camp.

Within fifteen minutes, my tent was set up and I had a fire cooking some food for myself, and as my food was heating up, I took out a container of Pokemon Food and popped it open, pouring some into a bowl for Spyke.

"Here you go buddy." I set the bowl on the ground, and began to move my now heated food onto a plate, finishing it off quickly so I could hurry up and get today over with.

"Alright, Spyke, I'm gonna need you as a body gaurd for the night, make sure nothing attacks us, okay?" I asked the spiny nut Pokemon, earning a sound of confirmation and a salute. "Great, now let's get to bed," I said as I opened the tent flap for Spyke to walk in, me following him and walking in as well.

Spyke and I were just getting comfortable, when I heard a loud explosion in the distance, "Whoa, what the hell was that?" I questioned.

"Chespin," Spyke said.

I opened the tent to peer outside, then another explosion sounded off and a loud scream was heard in the back of my head, "Who the hell is screaming?"

I stepped out of the tent to get a better look, and quickly noticed that the explosions were getting closer. I looked in the direction the noise was coming from and noticed a small pale Pokemon with green hair and red horns came running out of the bushes.

("Help me!") The voice said, I realized it was the Ralts that was screaming.

The Ralts ran to me and hid behind my leg, ("Please, protect me,") it said in a feminine voice. I looked over to where it came from and noticed a barrage of seeds were heading towards us.

"Everyone, get down!" I shouted as I got on the ground. The seeds shot over us and blew up the ground behind me.

"Spyke, hit whatever is attacking us with Pin Missile!" Spyke's thorns began glowing green and he launched a barrage of needles directly at the source of the Seed Bomb. A loud shout was heard and a green monkey Pokemon leaped out from the brush.

"A Simisage?" I thought. "Alright, use Pin Missile again!" I said, Spyke doing what he did before and hitting the grass monkey directly. I watched as it fled back into the forest.

"Phew, thank Arceus we were hear to help you, huh?" I asked the Ralts.

("Yes, thank you very much,") she said.

"You're very welcome, but why was that Simisage chasing you?" I asked her.

("I was trying to get something to eat, but I accidentally knocked an apple down, and it fell on Simisage's head by mistake.")

"Well, I doubt it will be safe to go back out tonight, that Simisage could still attack you. Why don't you stay with me and Spyke for the night?" I offered.

("Thank you, I would appreciate that,") she said.

I opened the tent and let the two Pokemon inside before entering myself and closing the flap.

I turned to the Ralts, as Spyke had already laid down on one of the pillows and fallen asleep. "So, do you have a name?" I asked her.

("Yes, my name is Nessa.")

"Well, nice to meet you, Nessa, I'm Daniel, and that's Spyke," I said, pointing at the sleeping Pokemon.

I heard a quiet yawn come from the small Pokemon, "We should get to bed, I have to find my friends in the morning," I started to dig through my bag, "here, you can use these," I said as I handed Nessa a small blanket and a pillow.

("Thank you, Daniel, good night,") she said, curling up on the pillow and pulling the blanket on top of her.

"Good night, Nessa," I responded, closing my eyes and falling asleep.

* * *

I woke up the next morning to see Spyke still snoozing on his pillow, and Nessa fast asleep as well, I walked out of the tent to make breakfast, and once it was done, I re-entered the tent to wake the two sleeping Pokemon.

"Wake up you two, breakfast is ready," I said as I shook the two awake.

Nessa let out a yawn, ("Good morning, Daniel.")

"Morning, Nessa, did you sleep well?" I asked her.

("Yes, thank you for letting me stay the night in your tent, but I should get going,") she said as she got up and walked out of the tent.

I just sighed, "Wish she would have liked to join the team," I thought.

I walked over to Spyke, to try and wake him up again, but a loud explosion shook him awake instead.

"Chespin?!" He shouted.

I ran outside of the tent, I saw Nessa lying on the ground nearby, then another explosion hit near me, I looked over to the source and it was that Simisage again, but this time, he had company. A Simisear stood to his right, while a Simipour to his left. "This is not going to end well," I thought. "Spyke, use Vine Whip on Simipour!"

Spyke followed my orders and lashed out with his vines at the Simipour, striking it repeatedly. I noticed the Simisear coming in hot with a Flame Charge, hitting Spyke in an attempt to save it's ally, but it was too slow, as the Simipour lay unconscious with multiple whip marks on it's body.

"Spyke, can you continue?" I asked in desperation, the Chespin stood up, panting from exhaustion, but he gave a strained sound of confirmation.

"Alright then, use Rollout on that Simisear!" I shouted to Spyke. He once again obeyed my command, rolling into a ball and speeding off towards the fire monkey, hitting it dead on multiple times until it was knocked unconscious like the Simipour. "Great! Now to deal with the-" I was cut off as Spyke was hit by the Simisage's Acrobatics attack.

"Cheeess! Pin, pin!" He called out in pain as he bounced along the ground.

"Spyke, return!" I shouted as I recalled him to his ball, "what are we gonna do now?"

The Simisage began charging a Solarbeam, pointed directly at me.

He fired it off, I was frozen in place, staring at the incoming attack.

("No!") I heard Nessa scream, my eyes widened as she jumped in front of the beam, a cloud of smoke appeared, and the small Ralts flew out of it and into my arms.

"Nessa?! Are you okay?!" I asked her, she didn't respond. I frantically began digging through my pockets as the Simisage slowly trudged over to us.

I pulled a small cloth sack out of my pocket and loosened the laces, allowing me to take a small pill from inside and put it to Nessa's mouth.

As she took the medicine into her mouth and swallowed it, her eyes quickly opened and she sat up, "Thank Arceus, you're okay." Nessa looked at me with an expression of gratitude and determination.

The small Ralts hurried off my lap and stood between me, and the Simisage, "What are you doing? Run!"

("No! I am not leaving you!") She said, ("You protected me, and now it's my turn to protect you!") A white light enveloped the Ralts, her small body grew a bit taller, and a skirt formed around her waist, when the light dissipated, a Kirlia stood where Nessa was.

The Simisage began charging at Nessa, it's teeth glowing bright from it's Bite attack. But, Nessa just stood there, her eyes glowing a bright purple; then, all of a sudden the Simisage stopped in it's tracks, it was lifted into the air, then slammed down against the hard ground. This happened repeatedly as Nessa used her Psychic attack, after a few more good slams, she picked up the other two monkey Pokemon and threw them into the forest.

I watched the Kirlia turn and walk towards me, a small smile on her face, "Thank you for healing me, if I may ask, what was that pill you gave me?"

"Oh, that? I made it myself, it restores a Pokemon's energy and gives them a temporary boost, that might be why you evolved so suddenly."

Nessa rubbed her chin, "Perhaps, but where did you learn to make it?" She asked, looking back up.

"My uncle taught me everything I know about medicine. He runs a pharmacy in Lumiose City, and one day, I hope to help Pokemon like he does."

Nessa's smile grew, "That is very kind of you, Daniel," she paused for a moment, swaying from side to side with her hands behind her back, "Daniel, I hope you don't mind me asking, but I was wondering if I could become your assistant."

"You mean, you want me to catch you?"

She nodded, "Yes, Daniel, I would like to be one of your Pokemon, I'm not very good with combat, but I could help you become a great doctor."

Dan unclipped a ball from his belt, "I have nothing against you joining me, but, I am wondering why you'd want to help me fulfill my wish."

"It's because I have a similar wish," I was a bit confused, but she continued her explanation, "just like you, I want to help as many Pokemon as I can, but I can only do so much here in the forest, so if I can assist you in some way, it will help my dream come true as well."

That was a good enough reason for me. I enlarged the Pokeball and tapped it on the Kirlia's forehead, absorbing her in a flash of red light. The ball only shook once before dinging, meaning Nessa hadn't struggled, and willingly let herself be captured. I pressed the release button, and she appeared before me in a flash of white light.

"Now that you're officially my Pokemon, and medical assistant, we should start looking for my friends, I just hope they're looking for me as well." I began dismantling my tent and packing my stuff, I swung my bag over my shoulder and started in a random direction.

A short walk later I heard Aura's voice calling my name, as well as two other voices that I didn't recognize, "Maybe he got some help," I reasoned; nonetheless, I followed the calling, and after rounding a bush, I spotted Aura standing there, shouting my name, "Aura!" I called, as I ran up to him, Nessa on my heels.

He looked over in my direction, "Dan, there you are! We've been looking for you since yesterday; we camped out last night, hoping that you would find us," he said.

"Yeah, I forgot my map at the Pokemon Center yesterday," I said, rubbing the back of my head. He chuckled.

"Diamond! Prince! I found him!" Aura called. I heard rustling from the bushes and saw Diamond's head poke out.

"Finally, we've been worried sick."

I stumbled back, startled and surprised from hearing the Fennekin speak, "How are you talking?"

She tilted her head, looking almost confused as I was, "What do you mean?" She asked.

"You're speaking english," I told her.

"No, I'm speaking in my natural language," she said, a quizzical look on her face.

"Then how can I understand you?"

"I believe that is my doing," Nessa interjected, walking out from behind me.

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"I can use my psychic abilities to act as a translator, but it does require me to actually focus my psychic energy, so I have to be conscious to do it. Didn't you notice I had stopped speaking to you through telepathy after I evolved?"

"Actually, I didn't." Nessa giggled a bit at my obliviousness.

"And who's this?" Aura asked.

I stood up and introduced the Kirlia, "This is Nessa, the newest addition to my team," I said with pride.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Diamond," the small fox greeted with joy.

"Greetings, my name is Prince. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," the Riolu said, chivalrous as always.

"And my name's Aura, Dan's friend, and these two's trainer."

"Hello, as Daniel had said, my name is Nessa, it is nice to meet you all."

Aura took out his Pokedex and glanced at it's digital clock, "Well, now that we found you, we should head back to town, I want to go over mine and Prince's training before we challenge the gym."

I nodded and followed Aura as he turned and started walking in, what I presumed to be, the direction towards town.

As soon as we arrived back at the Pokemon Center, Aura and Prince did a quick review of their training, and then we were off to the gym.

 **-POV 3rd Person-**

The group stood in front of the large building, where Aura would finally earn his first badge, and be one step closer to entering the league.

Aura took a deep breath, trying to overcome his nerves as he stared at the gym intently. His grip tightened around the Pokeball in his hand, thinking about his upcoming battle.

"Aura?" He snapped back to reality as he heard Diamond's voice, he looked down to the Fennekin at his feet, "Are you okay?" She asked.

His grip loosened a bit, "Yeah, I'm just a bit nervous."

She held her paw to her trainer's leg, "Don't worry, I'm sure you and Prince will do great."

"Thanks, Diamond, I sure hope you're right." Aura looked back up to the large building, "Well, here goes nothing." He took one last breath before they ascended the stairs, and entered the building into a room that looked almost like a small art gallery.

They were all fascinated by the sheer amount of photographs covering the walls, each depicting a different species of Pokemon, most in their natural habitats.

Aura heard someone clear their throat, he turned and saw a receptionist, "Can I help you?" She asked.

Aura got the attention of Dan and they walked to the woman, "I'm here for a gym battle." Aura said.

The woman nodded, she quickly did something on her computer and a yellow light lit up next to a card scanner, similar to the ones in Pokemon Centers, "Please scan your trainer ID so we can register you into the database."

Aura did so, pulling out his trainer ID card and swiping it through the slot, it made a beep and the woman looked to her computer, "Huh, it says here that you haven't registered any Pokemon."

This confused him, "But, I have two Pokemon, why does it say I don't have any registered?"

"By any chance, do you happen to be a new trainer?" Aura nodded with a 'yes' in response, she chuckled and looked to the trainer, "I guess that means you also don't know why we have to register your trainer ID to begin with," he shook his head, so she began her explanation, "the reason we need to register your trainer ID, is so that the league can keep track of your badges; every time you win a badge, it gets saved to the league's database, so if you were to ever lose your badges in any way, you could always get them replaced."

Aura was impressed, but he should have known the league would take precautions, since reports on stolen badges had been a recent thing over the years. "So, what about the Pokemon?" He asked.

The receptionist smiled, "Oh, that's helps us choose a predetermine set of rules for each battle, and to keep track of how many registered Pokemon you currently have in your party. So, unless a Pokemon is registered, it can't be used in a gym match."

"So how do I register my Pokemon?"

A panel flipped up that had six, Pokeball sized slots, "The best place to do it is at a Pokemon Center, but you can also do it at gyms, or any other official league building." Aura took the Pokeballs of his two Pokemon and set them into the slots, and like the card slot, a light blinked on. "Okay, Fennekin and Riolu are registered into the league database. If you want to register them under different names, you can do that at the Pokemon Center," Aura lifted the balls and clipped them back onto his belt, "the battlefield is just down that hall, good luck." She pointed to a nearby hall and they started down it towards the field.

At the end of the hall was an enormous, garden like room with a large battlefield in the center.

"Hello? I'm here for a gym battle!" Aura called.

"Welcome!" He heard a voice say. A tall blond woman walked out from behind a tree, "I'm Viola, the Santalune gym leader, and who are you, challenger?"

"I am Aura, from Vaniville Town, and I am here to get my first badge!" Aura said.

"Alright then, I have no choice but to accept your challenge," Viola said.

A few bright lights flashed on above the battlefield, Aura and Viola stepped down the stairs and stood in their trainer boxes; meanwhile, Dan walked over to a viewing area with Diamond and the other Pokemon, and a referee stepped to the edge of the field.

He held up two flags and began to recite the rules, "This will be a two on two gym match against Viola, the gym leader, and Aura, the challenger! The match will be over once either side is unable to continue, and only the challenger may substitue! Are both trainers ready?" Aura and Viola each grabbed a pokeball, then they nodded to confirm, "Very well, battle begin!"

"Go, Surskit!" Viola threw her ball into the air and a small blue Pokemon appeared in a flash of light, it's legs were twice the length of it's body, and it had a yellow appendage on it's head.

"Come on out, Prince!" Aura tossed the Pokeball, it popped open and released the Riolu within. "You can have the first move, Viola."

"Why thank you." She smirked and called out a command, "Surskit, use your Sticky Web!" Surskit leaned forward and began firing globs of a sticky substance from the point on it's head.

"Dodge with Quick Attack!" As the globs closed in on the Riolu, he began to quickly dodge them like he had during their training.

"Keep up your Sticky Web! Tire it out!" Viola's Surskit continued it's assault, even speeding up a bit.

"This isn't good." Aura knew Prince couldn't dodge forever, and he could tell the canine Pokemon was getting tired. He had to think quickly, "Prince, take aim!" Viola was curious as to what Aura was planning, why tell his Pokemon to take aim if there was no way for him to get close to Surskit for an attack. A few seconds went by and both Pokemon had started to slow down, this was his chance, "Counter the Sticky Web with Blaze Kick!"

Viola's eyes widened as Prince's legs caught fire and began delivering swift kicks to the webs, incinerating them on impact; she was surprised the Riolu was capable of this move, but she couldn't stop now, "Surskit, switch from Sticky Web to Bubble Beam!"

There was a short pause as Surskit ceased it's webs and began charging it's Bubble Beam, this allowed just enough time for Aura's next command, "Quickly, get close and use Bite!" Prince put out the flames around his legs and sped towards Surskit, reaching it just as it manged to let loose it's beam of powerful bubbles. Prince was hit point blank and was pushed back. "Are you alright, Prince?!"

The Riolu struggled to his feet and wiped his mouth, "Yes, Master, do not worry." Aura nodded and called his next command.

"Attack it again with Blaze Kick!" Prince charged the Bug type, igniting his legs like before.

As the Riolu closed the gap, Viola had only one option, "Surskit, dodge!" Prince was soon in front of Surskit, but right as he swung his leg, Surskit sped off to the side, evading the attack completely. They watched Surskit circle around Prince with such speed, that it practically created clones of itself. "Now, Quick Attack!"

Aura cursed to himself as he watched Prince get hit multiple times, "Prince, try to lock on with Foresight, and hit it with Blaze Kick!"

Prince's eyes tinted red as he concentrated on Surskit's movements, and within a second or two, he had locked on. Everyone watched as Prince ignited his leg once more, and delivered a swift kick to his left, directly hitting the bug type and sending it bouncing across the ground.

When Surskit didn't move for a few seconds, the ref called it, "Surskit is unable to battle, Riolu is the winner!"

Viola returned Surskit to it's ball, "Thanks, Surskit, you did great." She clipped it's ball to her belt and pulled off another, "Vivillon! Go!" In a flash of white light, a large butterfly emerged from the ball, it's wings were pink and it's body was grey.

The ref called for the next round, "Battle begin!"

The second the ref called it, Viola had already declared her attack, "Vivillon, use Sleep Powder!" Vivillon flew over to Prince and fluttered it's wings, a green powder sprinkling over the canine.

"Prince, stay awake!" Aura shouted. Prince did his best to stay strong, but his exhaustion mixed with the Sleep Powder was making him stagger.

"Vivillon! Psybeam!" A bright pink ball of energy formed between the bug's antennae, launching a beam of pure energy towards the Riolu, and causing a large explosion of smoke.

As the dark cloud dissipated, Prince was lying on his back, completely unconscious. "Riolu is unable to battle, Vivillon wins!" Aura was shocked. He faced the floor as he silently returned Prince to his ball, muttering the words 'I'm sorry' to his Pokeball, and clipping it back to his belt. He stood in place for a few moments, not making any attempt to send out another Pokemon, "Challenger, please send out your next Pokemon," the ref called.

Aura finally looked up, Diamond noticing the look on his face was filled with disappointment, not in his Pokemon, but in himself. "I don't have another Pokemon."

Diamond could hear the sorrow in his voice, she knew how hard they had worked to prepare for their battle. Suddenly, Diamond heard a voice in her head, that simply said "go to him." She had no idea where the voice had come from, but she couldn't help but feel it was guiding her towards something important. It somehow knew she truly desired to be out there for Aura, and so she did just that.

The ref was preparing to call the match; moments from raising the flag to signify Viola's win, Diamond leaped onto the field and ran to Aura's side.

Viola noticed this, "Hold on." She stopped the ref and observed what was happening.

"Diamond? What are you doing?" Aura asked.

"I'm going to help you win this," she said, turning to face her trainer with determination.

"But, I thought you didn't want to battle?"

Diamond shook her head, "I don't, but I hate seeing you like this, you do everything you can to make me happy, and now it's my turn to do it for you."

The two stared into each other's eyes for a moment, both of them feeling the connection they had felt back at the lab.

Aura smiled, a single tear sliding down his cheek, "Thank you, Diamond."

She smiled and ran back to her trainer, he kneeled down and caught her in a warm embrace. He released the Fennekin and she ran back into the field. Aura smirked, newly restored determination filled their minds, "Never mind, I guess I do have a second Pokemon."

The ref looked to Viola, she gave him a short nod, and instead of him raising the one flag, he lifted both into the air, "Round three is about the commence, are both trainers ready?" Viola and Aura nodded, "Very well, battle begin!"

"Diamond, attack with ember!" She did not hesitate as she leaped into the air, inhaling the air around her and launching a small ball of fire at the butterfly.

"Dodge and use gust!" Vivillon flew to the right, just barely avoiding the ember, and began flapping it's wings at high speeds.

"Light screen!" A translucent bubble appeared around Diamond, almost like a coat of armour, absorbing most of the attack. As the winds subsided, Aura quickly called out his next attack, "Diamond, hit it with fire spin!"

Diamond summoned a swirling spiral of flames from her maw, shooting it out towards Vivillon, and trapping it in the vortex.

"Vivillon, hold strong and use gust!" Vivillon flapped it's wings repeatedly, sending strong winds at the flames, and pushing them away to free itself.

"Counter it with another fire spin!" Aura commanded. Diamond let loose another spiral of flames from her maw, meeting Vivillon's gust halfway. The two attacks were evenly matched, though Diamond began to feel her energy running low, weakening her flames as they were slowly pushed closer to herself, soon enveloping the fox in a spiral of her own flames.

Aura watched in horror as Diamond screamed in pain, the flames much bigger due to the gust attack mixed in; all he could think of was how much it pained him to see Diamond suffer. Memories of the time he had spent with Diamond began to flow through his mind, there wasn't much, but it was enough to show just how much he cared for the small fox.

Aura slowly began to feel his body heat up, almost as if he too had been swallowed up by the flames, he didn't know it, but he was feeling everything Diamond did.

"Diamond..." He suddenly froze. An energy surged throughout his whole body, "I… I will not let this happen any longer..." Everyone watched as his body was enveloped in a thin layer of royal blue flames, though this went unnoticed by himself. He looked through the raging flames at the small fox and tightened his fists. "I WON'T LET YOU SUFFER!" He cried.

The thin layer of blue flames around Aura had increased in size drastically, then suddenly, the flames around Diamond had burst into a shower of tiny embers, revealing that the Fennekin was enveloped in an identical energy but of a deep, scarlet red hue.

Everyone watched in awe as Aura's right eye transitioned from it's usual royal blue to a scarlet red. Meanwhile, Diamond's left eye had practically mirrored this, changing from scarlet red to royal blue.

"This power, this energy, it's unimaginable." Aura felt even more invigorated than ever before, he could also feel the energy flowing through Diamond, "Okay, Diamond, it's time to finish this!"

Diamond inhaled deeply, holding it for a second before letting loose a roaring inferno from her maw, enveloping the butterfly and sending it to the ground in a charred heap.

The ref stood in shock, though quickly shook it away and called the battle, "Vivillon is unable to battle, Fennekin wins, so the victory goes to Aura from Vaniville Town!"

The energy around the trainer and his Pokemon vanished in an instant, making the two stagger a bit, though they stood strong. Diamond looked back, to her trainer, smiling brightly and running towards him.

He crouched down and lifted the Fennekin into the air, "You did it, Diamond!"

She shook her head, "No, we did it," Aura lowered the fox and held her against his chest, "I don't know what that was, but I just know that it wasn't just me, I couldn't have gotten that strong without you."

They heard a slow clapping approach them and turned to see Viola walking towards them, "That was amazing, you two, I don't know how you did it, but I've never seen anything like that before," she paused and took a small blue tray with a red pillow from the ref, "but, you were still able to beat me, so to prove your victory here, I present you with the Bug Badge."

He took it and thanked Viola, putting it in his pocket for now, they said their goodbyes, before Aura started for the exit with Dan in tow.

"Check it out, you two!" Aura held his badge up for his mother and Kibbs to see.

"Good job, Aura, we're so proud of you," Darlene said to his son.

"Yeah, even if you can get into a lot of trouble sometimes," Kibbs added with a chuckle.

Aura chuckled too, "Anyways, as soon as Prince and Diamond are all healed up, we're gonna head back to Lumiose City."

"Well, just stay safe, and call when you can."

"I will, mom, bye!" The two said goodbye and Aura cut the connection, heading over to the counter to get Diamond and Prince, leaving the Pokemon Center soon after and meeting Dan outside.

As they walked towards the gates to Route 4, Dan had started asking Aura about the strange power him and Diamond used during the battle.

"I don't know how we did it, I just wanted Diamond's pain to stop, then all of a sudden, we started glowing and felt a lot of energy."

Diamond thought about those words for a moment, "Aura?"

"Yeah, Diamond?"

"Maybe the power we felt had something to do with how you felt, maybe there's something special about you."

Aura tilted his head, "Are you sure?" She nodded, "What makes you say that?"

"I didn't feel anything like that until I heard you calling to me." She paused, "Maybe that's why it said to go to him." Diamond looked up to her trainer, "Aura, would it be alright if I battle with you from now on?"

Aura looked at her, thinking the answer was obvious, "Of course, I would love to have you battle with me, as long as we're together, I know we'll achieve great things."

They passed through the gate and stepped onto Route 4, completely oblivious to the fact that they were being watched.

* * *

 **Hopefully you all can understand why I just can't continue coming back to always fix these early chapters any longer. It just takes way too much time that could be used to actually progress the storyline.**

 **Heads up about Chapter 6. I honestly really dislike that chapter and feel like it is my worst work yet. I can't even muster up the motivation to fix it because it would take so long I feel. Who knows, it might not be as bad as I make it out to be but I just don't like how I did it. Maybe one day it'll be fixed but not likely. It was originally just a filler chapter that I rushed through and might have wrote it within a single day or two, and you can all understand why that would be a bad thing.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry that this chapter's not very good, it was thrown in with no plans whatsoever, but I can promise this is the only chapter with this poor of quality, and I will try to come back and fix it overtime.**

 **This chapter has very little plot progression with the only things of importance it really has is the introduction to a side character whom is tied to the one other thing of even slight importance to the story this chapter has so if some of you end up just skimming over this chapter or even skipping it entirely, I honestly will not blame you.**

 **Next chapter is when the real story begins anyways, so I guess you could consider these past six chapters as just an extended prologue.**

 **So, yeah... let's just get on with it.**

* * *

 **=Reviews=**

 **Shadowforge:** I'm glad that you like the idea for Prince, I've always seen Riolu and Lucario as very valiant and loyal to their trainers.

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The Lost Lillipup**

 **-POV Aura, 1st Person-**

"Aura, I'm hungry, when are we gonna stop and set up camp?" Diamond asked, lazily resting her head on my shoulder.

I looked back at the Fennekin, she was currently resting on my shoulder with her lower half lying on my backpack, "That's the fourth time you've asked that," I replied, giving her nose a little poke.

She shook my hand away and looked at me with a small blush from the affection, "I'm sorry, I just feel really drained today."

She had a point, we've been walking along Route 4 for almost two days since leaving Santalune City, and the fact that we got lost yesterday didn't help.

"I know, we just need to find a place to set up camp for the night," I told her. As if on cue, Dan called over to us.

"Hey guys! I found a lake, we can set up camp here for the night!"

"Again he prevails in finding campsites," I thought. We rushed over to him and took in the marvelous view.

The lake sparkled in the setting sunlight, berry bushes lined the clearing, producing fruits a plenty, and the clearing was covered in short, lush grass that felt soft to the touch.

"I commend you on your skills at finding the perfect camp sites, Dan, this one is amazing," I said.

"Thanks, my folks and I would always go camping when I was younger, so I have a little practice," he said, smirking at my compliment.

"I don't care what the camp site looks like, I just want some food," Diamond said, her voice filled with hunger and exhaustion.

"I'll get supper started, Dan, could you set up the tents?" I said as I pulled a pan out from my bag.

"Sure thing, pass me yours and I'll get started," he said, pulling out his own tent. I pulled mine out and tossed it over to him.

I set up a spot for the fire, lit the kindling with a match, and set up the cooking stand to start making supper. I opened a bag I had next to me, pulled out some pork chops and set them on the pan.

"That smells good," Diamond said, her mouth watering as she watched me cook.

I pulled Prince's ball from my belt, then pressed the release button and I let him out next to me, "Prince, you hungry? We're having pork chops tonight," I told him.

He stuck to his usual chivalrous tone, "Yes, thank you, Master Aura."

I picked up a plate for everyone, setting a slice on each of them, along with a few vegetables and berries, "Alright everyone, time to eat!" I called, Dan had already let out his pokemon, Spyke rushed over while Nessa and Dan walked beside Missy.

We all sat around the fire, happily eating our food, though I noticed Diamond was looking behind us at the bushes.

"What is it?" I asked her.

She kept her eyes on the bushes as she answered me in a hushed tone, "I swear I heard something."

I leaned towards the bushes, though I didn't hear anything, "Are you sure? I don't hear anything."

"Would these ears lie?" She asked me, a little irritated that I wouldn't believe her.

"Hey, I didn't say that I didn't believe you," I said, getting a little defensive, "I just said that I didn't hear anything."

Almost right after saying that, a young looking Lillipup stumbled out of the bushes, painfully limping on it's right foreleg.

It lost it's footing and fell to the ground with a small thud. "Holy shit! Dan, Grab the first aid kit!" I shouted, rushing over to the fallen pup. Diamond running alongside me.

"I told you I heard something," Diamond said as we sat next to the puppy pokemon.

"Sorry, Diamond, but now's not the time for that," I panicked, "we have to help this Lillipup." I looked it over, seeing dry blood and dirt everywhere in it's matted fur. I quickly checked for a pulse.

"Good, it's still alive," I said slightly relieved, but no where near being calm.

"It must have gotten into one hell of a fight to be in this kind of condition," I pointed out, carefully lifting it and walking over to our camp. "Prince, could you grab a small pot from my bag and fill it with water from the lake?"

"Right away, Master Aura!"He said, digging through my bag and pulling out one of the smaller pots that I use to boil water. He rushed over to the lake and filled it with water, carefully bringing it back while trying not to spill.

"Diamond, grab a wash cloth from my bag and bring it to me!" I told her, she quickly ran to my bag and retrieved a cloth. I took the pot from Prince and set it on the fire to warm it up just a bit, taking it off shortly after and dipping the cloth in the warm water.

The small Lillipup let out a faint groan as I tried my hardest to gently wash the dry blood from it's body; while washing it, I had discovered she was a girl. But I kept my focus and finished washing her.

"Is she going to be okay?" Dan asked, handing me the first aid kit.

"I'm not sure, but I really hope she will." I took some bandages from the box and wrapped them around her leg.

"Aura, could we keep her in our tent tonight?" Diamond asked me, "I'm really worried about her."

"Of course, I made a promise didn't I?"

"Thank you," Diamond said, a little teary eyed.

I carefully brought the injured Lillipup into our tent, setting up a pillow for her to lay on. I walked towards the entrance, but didn't hear the soft pittering of little paws behind me. "Diamond? Are you not coming back out?" I asked her.

"Huh? Oh, I'm just going to keep an eye on Lillipup, I'm really worried about her," she said sadly.

"Alright, I'll bring our food in here and let everyone know we'll be keeping an eye on her, I'll be right back," I said, pushing open the tent flap and walking out.

 **-POV Diamond, 1st Person-**

I watched Aura walk out of the tent, turning my attention back to the Lillipup once he was out of sight. "Who could have done this to you?" I angrily thought to myself.

Moments later, I heard her mumbling something. Her words were barely audible, but thanks to my keen hearing, I was able to make out what she said.

"Gwen, where are you!"She groaned in a childlike voice.

My eyes teared up a bit, "She's lost, we have to help her." Soon, Aura entered the tent, holding both our meals.

"Alright, Diamond, I brought our food," Aura told me. I didn't even look at him, but he could tell that I was feeling down. "Are you all right, Diamond?"

I turned my head, slowly looking up at Aura with teary eyes, "She's lost, I heard her mumbling something about wanting someone named Gwen to find her," I sadly said, turning my head back to the Lillipup.

Aura kneeled down next to me and set down the plates of food, he placed his hand on my head and I could feel his worry as he slowly rubbed between my ears.

"I promise, we will help her find this person," Aura said in almost a whisper, he lifted me and placed me on his lap, holding me in an attempt to comfort me.

"Thank you, Aura, I just feel so sorry for her. This Gwen person is probably someone important, if they're on her mind while in this state," I said.

"Don't worry, Diamond, I promise that we'll find Gwen and reunite them," he said, "but for now you need to eat and get some rest, okay? I'm getting worried about you."

"Alright, sorry for that," I quietly said while slowly trotting over to my food.

After we both ate and Aura brought the dishes back out, we got ready to sleep, Aura removing my necklace as always before bed. "Good night, Diamond," he casually said while kissing my forehead, leaving me with a slight blush on my face.

"Good night, Aura, have a good sleep," I said, turning on my side to face the Lillipup. Aura wrapped his arm over me under the covers.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be fine," he said in a very caring tone.

"I hope you're right... I really do." I said.

A few hours passed and I was still awake, I looked over at Aura to see he was soundly asleep, "I wish I could sleep already," I thought. I shuffled my way out of the sleeping bag and quietly walked over to the Lillipup, "I promise, Aura and I will find Gwen for you, just wait," I whispered, curling up next to her and finally falling asleep.

* * *

I woke up from my slumber to hear Aura's voice, "Diamond, time to get up."

I let out a quiet yawn and stretched, "Morning, Aura," I said.

"I came to let you know breakfast is ready," he told me.

"Thanks, but, could I maybe eat my food in here?" I asked.

"Of course; if you want, I could stay in here with you," he kindly offered.

"Thank you, I would really appreciate that," I said with a nod.

"Alright, I'll be back in a bit," he said, before walking outside, returning shortly after with a plate of food for both of us, and some for the Lillipup, whenever she wakes up.

"Thank you." Aura and I took our time eating, and as soon as we were finished, he cleaned up the plates and left the tent.

About an hour passed as I just sat there, watching over the Lillipup, hoping she would wake up soon. I almost started to fall asleep, until I heard her groan and slowly open her eyes.

"Aura, she's awake!"I called out. Aura and Prince rushing into the tent almost immediately.

We all watched as the Lillipup opened her eyes, though as soon as she saw us, she had a look of fear.

"Who are you?! Where am I?!" She panicked.

"Calm down, you're safe now," I told her.

"Wh-who are you?" She asked again.

"I'm Diamond, the human is my trainer, Aura, and the Riolu is Prince," I explained.

"What do you want with me?" She asked, backing up, but flinching as she put pressure on her injured leg.

"Careful, you stumbled into our camp last night, you were covered in blood and dirt, and your leg might be sprained, or even broken," Aura said.

"Do you have a name?" I calmly asked.

"M-my name is K-Kelly," she said.

"Well, Kelly, we're here to help you, do you remember what happened before you stumbled into our camp?" Aura asked, Kelly was obviously surprised by the fact that a human was able to understand her.

"H-how did you-" her question was cut off as Aura answered.

"I was born with some kind of ability that lets me understand pokemon," he explained.

"O-okay then," she nervously said, "y-you said you would help me?"

"Yes, I heard you mumble about someone named Gwen, who are they?" I asked her.

"Sh-she's my trainer, we grew up together so she took me as her starter pokemon," Kelly told me.

"Well, could you tell us how you ended up like this? What happened before you were separated?" Aura asked her.

"Me and Gwen were on our way to Santalune City, to get her first badge, but on the way, another trainer stopped us and challenged Gwen to a battle, this trainer had an Eevee on his shoulder so we thought he would have used it, but when I stepped up to fight, the trainer sent out a large dragon pokemon, he called it a Druddigon," Kelly began to shiver, "Gwen tried to call off the battle, knowing that I was no match for such a powerful pokemon, but he wouldn't listen, he ordered his pokemon to attack me, and as I was sent flying through the air, I heard Gwen calling to me, then I blacked out," Kelly finished her long winded explanation with tears dripping down her cheeks.

I slowly walked up to the distressed pokemon, gently rubbing the side of my head against hers, "Don't worry, Kelly, Aura and I made a promise to each other to help any pokemon in need, and we don't plan on breaking that promise. We'll help you find Gwen, no matter how long it takes, right Aura?"

"Exactly, we'll take as long as we need, but we will not stop searching until we find Gwen," he confirmed.

"Th-thank you, thank you both so much!" Kelly said with tears soaking her fur.

"Of course, but don't thank us yet, now, would you like something to eat?" Aura asked her.

"Y-yes, thank you so much," she responded.

Aura placed the plate of food he brought in earlier in front of her, "Here, I hope you like it, I made it myself," Aura told her. Kelly nodded her head and gave a quiet thanks before slowly eating the meal.

Kelly quickly finished her breakfast and we all exited the tent.

"Everyone, this is Kelly, we're going to help her find her trainer Gwen, no matter how long it takes," Aura called out to everyone.

"Well then, let's pack up and get a move on," Dan said.

We began to pack up camp and set back on the road, in hopes of finding Gwen.

"Hey Kelly, what does Gwen look like?" I asked her as I strolled alongside her.

"She has long, blonde hair, and like to wear black clothes, is that a good enough description?"

"Yes, that should be enough, you get all that Aura?"

"Yeah, I heard her," he said.

As we walked along, Kelly and I had a conversation.

"So, Kelly, how long have you been on you're journey?"I asked her.

"Gwen and I only started yesterday, like I said, we were on our way to Santalune for her first gym badge," she answered.

"Good luck with that, Viola was a challenge, her Vivillon took out Prince with one attack," I giggled.

"I did all I could, though I was defeated by her Vivillon," Prince informed her.

"Either way, you both did really well in that battle, and it's because of you two that we got the badge," Aura said.

Aura turned to face forward again, and Kelly and I continued our conversation.

"So, why don't you tell me a little about you and Gwen?"I asked Kelly.

"Gwen and I grew up together, her parents each had a Stoutland, who are my parents, so Gwen and I knew each other since we were little, we both grew up in a rich household and Gwen is the heir to the family company," she explained.

"What kind of company is it?" Aura asked her.

"Well, they make all kinds of tech, they're currently working on a pokemon translator, Gwen and her parents are currently the only people who have the prototypes," she proudly stated. Aura responding with an 'interesting' remark. "When you were able to understand me, I was really confused, I thought that maybe you had gotten a hold of one of the very few prototypes, but I guess you don't need one, do you?"

"Nah, neither does my mom, nor Dan, my mom and I can understand pokemon naturally, while Dan here recently caught a Kirlia," Aura informed her.

"That's right, thanks to Nessa's psychic abilities, she can let anyone she chooses understand pokemon,"Dan said.

"That's pretty neat, maybe Gwen's parents should get one, it might help with their research," Kelly said.

The conversation carried on for the rest of the day, eventually the sun began to set and Dan found yet another camping spot. We had our dinner and Aura and Dan set up their tents, Aura, Kelly and I going into Aura's tent while Dan entered his.

Aura removed my necklace and placed it in its box, "Ready for bed, Diamond?" He asked me, I looked over at Kelly as she lay about two feet away from Aura's sleeping bag.

"Actually, could you set up a spot for me next to Kelly?" I asked him.

He gave me a warm smile, "I see, you understand how she feels, so you want to be there for her, right?" Aura guessed.

"Yeah, I'm worried that she feels scared, afraid that we might never find Gwen,"I quietly told him.

He didn't say anything more, walking over to his bag, he pulled out an extra pillow and a blanket, setting them next to Kelly's bed. I nodded my thanks to Aura as he walked back to his sleeping bag, slowly climbing in. I trotted over to the spot next to Kelly, lying down on the pillow Aura placed there.

Aura had fallen asleep shortly after saying good night to the two of us, I was about to fall asleep as well, but I heard a sniffling coming from my left, I turned my head to see Kelly was shuddering under the blanket.

"Are you alright?" I asked her. Kelly flinched and let out a sniffle.

"No, I'm scared," she quietly said, "What if we never find Gwen? I don't know what I would do."

"Hey, don't talk like that, I promise we'll find Gwen, just wait and see," I told her. I moved slightly closer to her, curling up against her to hopefully provide some comfort.

She let out another sniffle, "Thank you," she quietly said, she kept crying and eventually cried herself to sleep, I continued to lay next to her, providing warmth and comfort, eventually falling asleep myself.

* * *

We awoke the next morning, repeating our usual routine of having breakfast and packing up. Then we traveled along the route again, Kelly and I striking up a conversation.

A few hours gone by of searching, until our luck began working in our favor.

"Kelly?! Kelly, where are you?!" We heard a voice shouting.

Kelly stopped in her tracks, "Gwen? Gwen?!" Kelly called out. We all began rushing in the direction we heard the shouting, pushing our way through a bush, on the other side, we saw a tall, thin girl wearing black clothes with long blonde hair, "Gwen!" Kelly called, rushing forward, the girl turned around and a smile spread across her face.

"Kelly!" She called, rushing towards the Lillipup, catching her as she leaped into her arms. "Where have you been? I was so worried sick about you," she said. Gwen noticed us walking towards her, "Who are you?" She asked.

"I'm Aura, this is my partner, Diamond," Aura told her.

"And I'm Dan, nice to meet you," Dan added in.

She looked at Kelly with a confused look, "They helped me find you, I stumbled into their camp and they took care of me," Kelly told her.

"Thank you so much for helping Kelly find me," Gwen said, as she gave a bow of appreciation.

"It was nothing, we're just glad that you found each other, Kelly said that you two were on your way to Santalune City, is that correct?" He asked.

"Y-yes, but how could Kelly have told you? You couldn't possibly have a translator," she said in confusion.

"That's because I can understand pokemon naturally," he told her. He saw the look of understanding on her face.

"Okay then, well, thanks for helping Kelly, we should get going, maybe we'll run into you again sometime," she said.

"I would like that, and good luck with your gym match, Viola is tough," Aura said.

"I'll remember that, goodbye, and thanks again," she said, walking away.

We continued on our way, our luck staying strong as we saw Lumiose in the distance, "We're almost there, let's go!" Dan said, as he began running towards the city.

Aura and I looked at each other and smiled, chasing after Dan, looking towards finally reaching the city.

* * *

 **Yep… Anyway thanks to everyone who decided to stick around and read my work up to this point. I can promise it only goes up hill from here with a few bumps along the way.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Finally, we get to the somewhat more juicy stuff, sorry for how cliche and corny the first six chapters were, but I can assure you that it's all up hill from here with a few minor bumps along the way.  
**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 7: An Evolution of Love**_

 _ **-POV Aura, 1st Person-**_

Finally returning to Lumiose City, we walked along south boulevard towards the Pokemon Center. But as we got closer, I noticed a crowd gathered nearby, "You guys see that?" I asked, slowing to a halt.

"Yeah, I wonder what's going on," Dan said. Not even needing to discuss it any further, we quickly changed our course to see what the commotion was all about, and when we finally pushed our way to the front of the crowd, my blood began to boil.

"You worthless piece of shit!" The boy in the center yelled, kicking the small Shinx in the side, forcing it to wheez in pain, and cough up a bit of blood on the pavement. From the way multiple splatters of blood were around it, and how it's body was riddled with many bruises and cuts, I could tell this had been going on for a while, only fueling the rage I felt burning inside.

"I-I'm sorry, Master, please stop." I heard the Shinx plead in a male voice, blood slowly seeping from the side his mouth.

"I never should have caught you, you're absolutely useless in a fight!" He shouted again, continuing to kick the Shinx.

As he was about to kick the Shinx again, I finally snapped, a mysterious translucent blue wall appeared in front of the feline, protecting it from further harm, but the trainer wasn't as lucky, "Gah! What the fuck?!" The trainer yelled in pain, holding his foot from kicking the wall full force, "Who the fuck did that?!"

"I believe that would be me," I called to him, slowly stepping out of the crowd, a blue veil of energy surrounding my body.

"And who the fuck are you?!" He shouted, dropping his foot.

"Aura Borealis, your worst fucking nightmare," I spat with venom in my voice, and without even realizing it, I had summoned a ball of blue energy in the palm of my right hand, pointing it towards the boy. "Stop abusing that Shinx, otherwise, I'll deal with you myself!"

"And what the fuck are you going to do?" I launched the glowing ball of energy at the trainer, hitting him directly in the chest, with smoke erupting from the explosive impact, and a loud shout of pain heard from within.

As the smoke cleared, I walked up the the boy, "Hand over Shinx's ball! Now!" I demanded.

"And why should I?" He asked, his voice filled with spite. I summoned another ball of energy in my hand, his face grew even more angry, though I could see it was just a mask for his fear. "Fine!" He reached for his belt and pulled off a pokeball, tossing it over to me, "Take that piece of trash, he's useless anyways!" The abusive trainer stood up and stormed off, the light around me disappearing as I just stood there confused.

"What was that?" Diamond asked, as her and Dan ran up to me.

"I... don't know, I just got pissed at that trainer for abusing that Shinx, and next thing I know I-" I cut off as I remembered the Shinx, quickly running over to him and gently lifting him into my arms, "We need to get him to the Pokemon Center! Now!" I said, sprinting in the direction of the Pokemon Center.

* * *

Within only a few minutes, I had arrived and the Pokemon Center; the automatic doors slid open as I ran inside, stopping at the desk, "Nurse Joy! Please, help Shinx!"

She looked over and I could immediately see her shocked expression, "What happened to it?!" She asked.

"His trainer was abusing him out in the streets, now please, just help him."

Nurse Joy nodded, "Alright," she called out for assistance, saying this was an emergency, and soon after, another nurse walked out with a Wigglytuff by her side, "Wendy, please take Shinx to the emergency room as soon as possible."

I assumed Wendy was the other nurse, since she gave a quick nod and took Shinx from my hold, placing him onto a gurney Wigglytuff had brought, and rushing him to a back room to be treated.

I watched the door close behind them, without looking at her, I asked Nurse Joy, "Do you think he'll be okay?"

She replied to my question in a calm tone, "I don't think his injuries will be fatal, but they didn't look good at all... but, we'll let you know of it's condition as soon as we can."

"Thank you..."

My attention was finally drawn away from the room, as I heard the glass doors of the entrance slide open, spotting Dan running in with Diamond by his feet. The two ran towards me, Diamond leaped into my arms and I held her close, while Dan stopped by my side, "Man, you're fast when you need to be."

I apologized to him, then Diamond quickly caught my attention, "Is Shinx gonna be okay?" She asked.

"I don't know, but Nurse Joy will let us know as soon as she can." I turned back to the nurse and requested a Class-C room for me and Dan, I did the usual process of scanning my Trainer ID and receiving the room keys, giving one to Dan.

I walked towards the seating area, Diamond following me without question, but Dan had other plans; after he handed Missy's pokeball to Nurse Joy, he came over to us, telling us he was going to head up to the room and start making lunch, I nodded, and he left towards the stairs.

Diamond and I sat there for almost two hours, the small fox falling asleep on my lap as I just stared off into space, though when I heard footsteps walk towards me, I looked up, and saw Nurse Joy walking towards us, and after noticing the relieved smile on her face, I figured she had good news about the Shinx. I shifted Diamond from my lap to the cushions, though this was enough to wake her, so I gave her a quick apology and stood up. "So, how's Shinx?"

Nurse Joy took a clipboard from under her arm, "You shouldn't have to worry too much about him, he'll make a full recovery in a couple days, at most a week, but he did sustain quite a few injuries," she paused to check the pages on the board, "he has a few broken ribs, and some minor internal bleeding, if you didn't get him away from that trainer when you did, his injuries would've been near fatal."

"So when can we see him?" I asked.

"You'll have to wait until at least tomorrow, he's going through some minor surgery to help him recover faster, but as soon as he wakes up, I'll have you informed."

Relief washed over me, "Thank you so much, Nurse Joy."

She waved it off, "It's no problem at all, I'm happy to help injured or sick pokemon whenever I can."

"Thank you. Come on, Diamond, let's head to our room for now." Diamond hopped off the sofa, and followed me up the stairs to our room for the night.

* * *

The next morning, I was shaken awake, and heard Dan's voice next to me, "Aura, Nurse Joy want's to talk to you about Shinx."

I opened my eyes, and looked up to see Dan standing above me, "Alright, give me a sec." He nodded and walked away. I got up and stretched, then put on my glasses before walking to the open door, not bothering to put a shirt over my still bandaged chest, "Morning, Nurse Joy, you wanted to talk to me?" I asked, still not quite fully awake.

She looked a bit confused about my chest, but she shook it off, "Yes, I wanted to let you know that Shinx is awake now, and you can come down to see him at any time."

I smiled, "Thanks, Nurse Joy, I'll be sure to stop by a little later." She nodded and left down the hall.

I went over to my bed and woke up Diamond, shaking her a bit and telling her the news, "That's great, when are we gonna see him?" She asked, also still groggy from just waking up.

"We'll head down a little later, but for now, we gotta get ready."

She let out a yawn and stood up, stretching her forelegs with her rear in up, then leaned forward and stretched her back legs, after this, she seemed a lot more awake. She looked to her necklace then back to me, "Could you help me with my necklace?"

I took the silver chain from the black box and tied it around her neck, then I quickly leaned down and took some fresh clothes from my bag, "I'll be right back. Dan, can you make breakfast today?"

"Sure, what should I make?"

I stepped towards the bathroom, "Anything's fine." He nodded and I stepped into the bathroom to change. Once I finished changing, I put my clothes in my bag, and let Prince out of his ball so we could join the others for breakfast.

As I sat down, Dan began to strike up a conversation, "So, there's a gym here in Lumiose City, you gonna try to challenge it?"

I took a bite of the food and thought for a moment, "Mmmh, maybe, but I can't say for sure, I'll have to look into what type of pokemon they use first."

Dan shrugged, "Probably a good idea, besides, we'll have no choice but to loop back around at some point, so if not this time, you can always challenge the gym later."

With our breakfast out of the way, I asked Prince if he would like to meet the Shinx I had rescued the day prior, and of course, he agreed in his usual, chivalrous tone.

The three of us went down to the lobby, taking a quick second to stop and ask Nurse Joy where Shinx's room was, and heading down the hall to finally meet the Shinx.

"Well, here goes nothing." I slowly opened the door and peeked in, seeing the small feline lying on the bed, with bandages wrapped around his abdomen, staring out the window.

I cleared my throat and Shinx looked over to us, he gave me a weak smile, speaking in a soft voice, "Thank you for saving me." I assumed he spoke like that because he might have been medicated at that time, probably painkillers since he had just recently gone through some surgery.

"Of course, what was I supposed to do? Walk away?" I asked, a bit sarcastically to try to lighten the mood, yet also keeping my voice as calm as I could.

"Heh, most people would have, while everyone else just stayed to watch the show," he said this with spite in his voice, but it soon lighted up again, "but, I'm glad you at least decided to help."

Diamond suddenly butted in with a question, "How did you know that Aura was the one who saved you? Weren't you unconscious?"

He looked up to me, "So that's your name," I just nodded in confirmation, "well, I was awake long enough to see Aura get my pokeball away from my trainer."

I shook my head, "He's not your trainer anymore, and never will be again."

I could easily see Shinx's face light up, "You mean, I'm free? No more abuse?" He asked hopefully.

This worried me, "Hold on, how long has this been going on?"

Shinx shivered at the thought, simply replying with, "Too long."

Again, Diamond decided to but in, "Why don't you come along with us?"

I quickly turned to the small fox, "Now hold on, I don't think he'd want any sort of trainer after what he's gone through."

Unexpectedly, Prince actually cut in as well, "My apologies, Master Aura, but perhaps Diamond has a point, you are a very caring trainer, so I too think Shinx would be better as your pokemon."

I was about to disagree again, but Shinx spoke up, "Actually... I wouldn't mind someone like you as my trainer."

"What? Even after everything that's happened to you?" I asked in disbelief

He nodded, "Yes, how you saved me yesterday proves that what your pokemon say is true, you are a caring trainer, and I actually feel safe when you're around."

I sighed, "If you really want to, I can have you registered as my pokemon, and we can leave the city as soon as you're recovered."

"That would be nice."

"Well, since you'll be joining the family, I should introduce you to these two," I held a hand behind the pokemon by my sides, "the Fennekin is Diamond, and the Riolu is Prince, and you already know my name is Aura."

"I'm Stan," he let out a short yawn as his eyes began to grow heavy, "and thank you again." Stan's eyes closed as he fell asleep.

"Huh, I guess whatever medicine Nurse Joy has him on made him tired," Diamond pointed out.

"Hm, maybe, but let's go for now, we've been in here for a while, so we should let him rest."

The two pokemon agreed with me and we exit the room, softly closing the door behind us so Stan could rest.

"Well, it looks like we'll be staying in Lumiose City for a while," I paused for a moment, taking my pokedex from my pocket and checking the time, "it's only a little after one, anything you guys wanna do today?"

"Maybe we could go for a walk?" Diamond suggested.

"I wouldn't mind getting some fresh air, and perhaps this would be a good time to make sure we have enough food for the week," Prince added.

"It's settled then, let's go back and let Dan know we'll be out." Prince and Diamond followed me back to the room, making sure I had everything I needed and letting Dan know where we were going.

* * *

We walked along the streets, taking in the sights of Lumiose City, and doing a bit of shopping while we were at it.

Finally, after being out for almost four hours, it was time to head back to the pokemon center; although, I had something planned for the three of us, "Hey, guys, what do you say we go to a restaurant for supper?"

"Restaurant?" Diamond question.

I pointed over to a relatively big establishment with a large outdoor dining area, there were a few people within this area, most of which had at least one pokemon by their sides that looked happy to be there, "I saw that restaurant when we came this way earlier, I think it may be one of those special 'Trainer Cafes'."

"What's a Trainer Cafe?" She asked in total confusion.

"Just like the name entails, it's a cafe specially made for trainers."

Now Prince was starting to get confused, "Why would there need to be a cafe made specifically for trainers? Why not visit a regular cafe?"

I found the two's lack of human knowledge to be a bit amusing, but I did the right thing, and began explaining their purpose, "Some places just don't allow pokemon into the building for health and safety reasons, and even though most places do allow pokemon, their restaurants are intended for human customers, and couldn't let a lot of pokemon in for different reasons; so, some people came up with the Trainer Cafes, which are specially made to allow trainers to eat with their pokemon, however, even they have some rules about their health and safety, but they always try to work around them to make sure both trainer, and pokemon are happy."

The two pokemon were amazed, and I was happy they were so interested in the idea of the Trainer Cafe. So, after asking them again if they wanted to go there for supper, they didn't hesitate to agree, and followed me to the large entrance.

As we stepped through the large doors, easily about six or seven feet tall, Diamond and Prince were amazed at how large the inside was, there were all sorts of pokemon in the restaurant, each a variety of sizes and species.

A waiter walked up to greet us, "Welcome to our Trainer Cafe, how many shall be dining with us tonight?"

"Just me and these two." I gestured to the Fennekin and Riolu at my sides.

The waiter nodded, "Very well," he turned to a short, bipedal cat-like pokemon with blue fur, "Meowstic, could you bring one trainer menu and two pokemon menus?" I looked over to the Meowstic, finding his similar, yet smaller apron and tie to be quite adorable, though I was quickly taken back it's green eyes glowed faintly as it used it's psychic abilities to levitate the menus into the waiter's hands. The waiter gave a quick thanks to Meowstic, to which he replied with a bow, "Now then, let me show you to your table."

We followed the waiter and his Meowstic to a small, round table. I seated myself on the normal chair, while Diamond and Prince climbed up to special stools for smaller pokemon.

The waiter placed a menu in front of each of us, mine looking like a normal menu, while the ones placed before Prince and Diamond had pictures rather than words, obviously since pokemon normally can't read human writing.

"Can we get you anything to drink?" The waiter asked, pulling out a notepad, Meowstic just stood by. I looked over the menu, deciding on a soda, which he quickly wrote down.

Meanwhile, because Prince and Diamond were new to the whole concept of menus, especially this specific kind, Meowstic was explaining how it worked through his natural language, though of course, I understood the whole conversation.

The cat pokemon explained everything he could about each helpful detail on the menus, ranging from foods to drinks, and even small symbols to help learn about the food before ordering.

Finally, after a few minutes of explanation, they had finally ordered their drinks, Diamond requesting some pecha juice, while Prince just asked for some water. Meowstic nodded and looked to the waiter, relaying their order through telepathy. The waiter thanked Meowstic and they left to fetch our drinks.

We looked over our menus while we awaited our drinks, though I did have to help remind the two about some of the details. Soon enough, the waiter and Meowstic returned and set down our drinks, mine and Prince's were in regular cups, while Diamond was given a fancy glass bowl due to her not having hands.

Like before, the waiter pulled out a notepad, asking us if we were ready to order, so I quickly told him our orders and they left once again.

"Thank you for taking us here, Aura."

"It's no big deal, Diamond, I'm just making sure you guys are treated well, like a family should be."

After waiting for a good while, the waiter and Meowstic returned with our food, placing them on the table and leaving to tend to other needs, leaving us to enjoy our wonderful meals.

With our plates cleaned from the food, I paid the bill, and we left the cafe, finally heading back to the Pokemon Center for some well deserved sleep.

Upon arrival to the suite, Dan poked his head out from behind his medical book, "Where've you guys been?" He closed the book and stood up from the sofa.

"Sorry we were out so long, after we finished shopping, I decided to take these two to a Trainer Cafe."

Dan stretched and let out a yawn, "That's nice, but it's getting pretty late, so you wanna call it a night?"

"Yeah, probably a good idea." I set the plastic bags on the counter and quickly put away what I bought, then I started my nightly routine; after saying good night to Prince, I returned him and set his ball on the bedside table, taking everything from my pockets, being my wallet and pokedex, and setting them down next to the pokeball, then, after changing into my shorts and helping Diamond remove her necklace, it was finally time for bed.

* * *

With midnight slowly approaching, each of us was in a deep, peaceful slumber, though that didn't last long.

I was awakened from my sleep by a bright light shining through the window, and the sounds of very loud helicopter blades.

I sat up, wondering what was going on, though I quickly got my answer as the wall was suddenly blown apart by a large explosion.

The other two woke up immediately, and just as quickly, we had all begun coughing violently as smoke and dust filled the air.

Blinded by the light and smoke, I was unable to notice someone approaching us, until it was too late. Diamond screamed in horror, though it was quickly muffled, "Diamond?! Are you okay?!" The Fennekin didn't answer, instead, all I heard was men laughing, "Who are you?! Show yourself!"

The lights began to dim and the smoke started to disappear, revealing a pair of men in identical red suits. The man on the right laughed, "Who we are isn't important, what matters is that you come with us back to our headquarters."

"Why should I go with you?!" My eyes widened when the man on the left lifted a mass of yellow and red fur into view, "Diamond!"

I was about to rush to my bedside table and grab Prince's pokeball, but a distinct click stopped me in my tracks, I turned to see the man on the right held a gun in my direction, "Ah-ah-ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you," he pointed the gun to his left, putting the barrel inches away from Diamond, "unless you want me to blast this bitch's brains out."

I watched Diamond quivering in fear, but with no other options, I complied and stepped back, away from the Riolu's ball. The man chuckled, "That's better," he holstered his gun and the two men jumped back into their helicopter, "meet us at the top of Lumiose Tower, alone and unarmed, otherwise this bitch goes over," he shook Diamond by the scruff of her neck, "you have one hour." The helicopter's door closed and it rose up into the sky, flying off in the direction of the tower.

I clenched my fists, "Dan, go get Officer Jenny, but don't let them follow me up, I can't risk Diamond getting hurt." He silently nodded and I sprinted out of the room, leaving everything behind as I ran through the streets towards the tower.

I reached the tower, seeing hundreds of people standing around it, wondering what was going on at the top. I pushed my way through the crowd, many people shouting at me, but I ignored them and continued running.

I reached the maintenance ladder and hastily climbed to the top, nearly slipping a few times, but I didn't stop, I couldn't stop, not until Diamond was safe.

Reaching the top of the ladder, I climbed over the edge, and stood in front of the two men, Diamond still being held up be the scruff of her neck, "Good, you came," one of the men said, "now be a good boy and get in the chopper."

I was about to walk forward, but I stopped when Diamond began calling to me, "Aura, no, don't do it!"

I looked at the fox, tears falling from her eyes, mine doing the same, "No, Diamond! I promised I'd keep you safe, that I'd always be there for you." I walked closer and allowed the other man to cuff my hands together behind my back, "Now let her go," I demanded.

The one holding Diamond smirked, "As you wish." He released his grip on the fox, dropping her over the edge.

"Nooo!" I started writhing in anger, trying to escape the grasp of the men.

Suddenly, my body was enveloped in a blue light, "What's going on?!" One of the men said.

"This must have been what the boss was talking about!" The other one guessed.

The light grew brighter as I began to feel more and more power build up, suddenly causing an unseen wave of energy to push the men away, shattering the cuffs on my wrists, and allowing me to leap off the tower after the falling Fennekin.

I approached her, holding out my arms and wrapping them around her small form.

She pressed her head against my chest, tears falling from her eyes, "Aura, if we don't make it, I want you to know that I... I love you, Aura!"

Hearing those words brought my mind back to when Arceus first spoke to me...

I remembered the day we met, how I felt when I first locked eyes with the small fox, and now I realized what that spark meant...

Diamond was the one...

The one who shared my power...

The one who shared my destiny..

The one I loved above all others...

I raised Diamond's chin, looking into her beautiful red eyes, and I knew it right then and there...

This was it...

I pulled the fox towards me, locking our lips in a deep kiss...

A kiss that marked the beginning of our future...

The beginning of... Our destiny!

I pulled away from Diamond as I was blinded by a bright light, and as it disappeared, she was no longer a Fennekin... She had become a Braixen...

Memories that I didn't recognize began flashing before my eyes, revealing to me who, and what I was...

I began to feel the familiar energy building up within me, but now, I knew what it was, and what it meant.

As we quickly approached the ground, I adjusted our positions, holding Diamond in a tight embrace above me, with my back facing the ground.

Moments before hitting the earth below, I tightened my embrace around Diamond, saying the one phrase that would secure our fate forever... "I love you, too."

* * *

 **Holy Arceus! That ending took way too long to re-write, I'd say about maybe 2-3 hours of nothing but pacing and repeating dialogue to myself. But I'm glad that it's finished.**

 **If you like the story so far, you can show your support by** ** **favouriting** and ******following**. Got something you wanna say? Leave a review; I make sure to read all of them, and respond to any questions I receive in a "reviews" section on the next chapter. I enjoy interacting with my readers, and feedback is always helpful.  
**

 **Don't forget to check out my profile for more stories.  
**

 **That's all for now, thanks for reading.**


	8. Chapter 8

**=Reviews=**

 **Orivon Firefist:** Thanks for the review, fav, and follow. First off, as Prince said when he meets Aura, he was next in line to be alpha of his pack before they were killed, the pack leader role was passed down through the generations and each of the alphas knew blaze kick, that move as well was passed down through the generations as it is an egg move (and it was convenient for the plot), and second, I am male.

 **ShadowForge:** I'm really glad that you enjoy my stories, I enjoy recieving the positive feedback. The funny thing is that I actually didn't notice myself that Stan wasn't surprised, the only reason I can think of for this is that he was just too happy someone helped him to care, but I guess I was just too wrapped up in thinking about how the end of the chapter was going to be. I have been planning the Lumiose Tower scene back while still writing the first chapter, I actually have all the evolutions for his team planned out, as well as how they join his team, hell, I even have the final chapter already planned out (well, the general idea at least); this story is defenitely one of my favourites to write, because if I was in the Kalos region, this is how I would want my journey to go. I also hope that you read my other stories as well, and keep up the good work with yours.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 8: Truth Behind the Power**_

 _ **-POV Diamond, 1st Person-**_

I watched as the ground grew closer, tightly shutting my eyes and holding onto Aura, I awaited our painful deaths.

I felt Aura and myself shift, but I was too afraid to open my eyes.

But when we hit the ground, I wasn't in as much pain as I thought, at most I felt some strong pressure, but nothing else. I slowly opened my eyes, thinking the worst of it was over, but I was wrong. What laid under me was the most horrifying thing I've ever seen, Aura had taken almost all of the impact. I stared as he lay there, still as a stone, and I couldn't hold back my tears.

"Aura?! No! No, no, no, please be okay! Please! Don't leave me!" I screamed. I heard a loud high pitched noise and saw red and blue lights flashing with a white van pulling up next to us, men in suits jumped out and rushed to me and Aura, although, because I didn't know who or what these humans were, I instinctively jumped in front of them, my arms outstretched as I tried to protect my love. ("Who are you?! What do you want with us?!") I demanded, subconsciously using telepathy.

Dan ran up from behind them with a lady in a blue uniform, "Diamond, it's okay, they're here to help," he told me.

I didn't want anyone to come near Aura, but I knew Dan wouldn't lie to me. So, with great reluctance, I lowered my arms and stepped back, letting the men pass and do what they needed to.

As I watched the men carefully lift Aura onto what looked like a bed with wheels, and roll him over to the vehicle they had arrived in, I felt Dan put his hand on my shoulder, "You want to be with him, don't you?" I answered by silently nodding my head, too overwhelmed with emotions to speak.

He led me over to the van, staying out of the way while they loaded Aura into the back, but before they closed the doors, Dan quickly stepped forward, "Excuse me, would it be okay she rides with you?" Dan asked the men, motioning towards me, "She wants to be with her trainer."

The two men looked at each other and shrugged, "I guess so," one of them said. They helped me into the back of the van and shut the doors.

In the back of the van, there was a woman looking over a bunch of machines hooked up to Aura, I stared at Aura as I silently cried to myself. "Don't worry," I heard the woman say, "your trainer will be all right." I gave a very small smile and after a few minutes of silence, I felt the van come to a stop; I heard the front doors open, with the back ones soon following, the two men rushed Aura inside while the woman helped me out of the back, "I assume you want to go along with your trainer?" She asked me.

("Y-yes, I need to see Aura,") I told her through telepathy. She looked impressed with my ability, but quickly shook it away.

"I'll help you inside, you can't be in the room with him while they're doing surgery, but you can wait in the waiting room," she said as she held out her hand for me, I grabbed it with my paw and we walked into the building together. "Since you can use telepathy, could you tell me your name?" she asked.

("It's D-Diamond,") I told her.

"Okay, Diamond, I'll let the doctors know who to call when they're done," she kindly said. The woman led me to a room filled with chairs, "You'll have to wait here until they come get you, okay?" She asked. I nodded and walked over to a chair while she walked to a counter with another woman behind it.

I sat there in absolute silence, the doors opened and Dan came in with Aura's bag in his arms, he quickly spotted me, seeing as I was the only one in the room, and he walked towards me, "Hey, Diamond, I figured Aura will be here for a while so I decided to bring his stuff, oh and here," he said, handing me Aura's bag as he reached into his pocket, he pulled out the box containing my necklace and handed it to me.

"Thank you," I said, setting Aura's bag down and opening the small black box, I took out my necklace at latched it around my neck, though it took a few tries since it was my first time doing it myself.

Dan and I sat there, waiting for the news on Aura, "Diamond?" I heard someone call, I looked up and saw a woman in a bright pink outfit standing in front of me, "You can come and see your trainer now," she said. Dan pat my shoulder, nodding to reassure me everything would be alright.

I stood up and followed the lady into a small room, she pushed a button on the wall marked with a three and the room began to move. Having no idea what was going on, I was a bit scared, I asked the woman what was happening, and she explained that we were in an 'elevator' and that we were currently rising to the third floor. She assured me it was safe, but I held onto the railing anyways, still a bit skeptical about the moving box.

The doors opened and we walked out, going down the hall to a room marked with "572" on the door. The woman opened the door and allowed me to enter first, as I walked in, I saw Aura lying in a bed with tubes and wires attached to him, and machines beeping and humming nearby.

"Aura?" I asked, as I stepped up to the bed.

"He's currently unconscious, but he should wake up in a day or two," the lady explained to me.

I looked back at the woman, ("Thank you... Could I stay in here with him?")

"I don't see why not, you clearly care a lot for him," she responded.

I glanced at Aura, simply telling the woman, ("I love him.")

The nurse gave me a sympathetic smile, "Well then, the bathroom is over there, and if you need anything, press that button there," she said, pointing to a door in the corner and at a small green button on a remote by the bed.

I thanked her, and she left the room, leaving me alone with Aura, I set his bag down nearby and scooted a chair over to Aura's bedside, sitting down and silently staring at his motionless body.

 _ **-POV Aura, 1st Person-**_

I awoke in a familiar white room, looking around I noticed Arceus was sitting on her throne, "What happened? Am I dead?" I asked her.

 **"No, you are alive, merely unconscious, the one you call Diamond was in grave danger, and you risked your life to save her, but you were severly injured in the process,"** she told me.

"Is Diamond all right?" I asked, not even worried about myself.

 **"Yes, Diamond is doing well, she is currently by your side in the real world at a hospital."**

I sighed in relief, "That's good, but, how am I alive?"

She chuckled, **"I think you know the answer, did the truth not reveal itself as you fell?"**

I rubbed my head, starting to feel a small migraine, "I-I remember something flashing before my eyes, but, it's all a blur now."

Arceus looked a bit saddened, yet at the same time, she almost had a glimmer of relief, **"Perhaps the impact had caused some minor amnesia, remember what you can, for it will reveal the path of your destiny, remember."**

I thought about this as hard as I could, a few glimmers of memory coming back. As the haze around the truth lifted, my eyes widened in shock, "I'm... a guardian... I'm an aura guardian?!"

The legend nodded, **"Yes, you're a guardian, Aura, although you are far more important than just an ordinary guardian."**

"What do you mean?"

 **"The aura guardians are humans with special relations to pokemon and the world they live in, they are the protectors of peace and balance, and you, are their leader, you are the grand guardian."**

"I... I don't understand, I mean, I know it's true, but, it's still so confusing." I tried searching through my mind for any form of information about this, but everything was a blur, "I-I can't find any memories about the guardians."

 **"Do not worry, it was possibly just too much to take in at one moment, perhaps your memories will return, but for now, it is imperative that you continue your travels."**

"I would love to, but I'd imagine my body is royally fucked up from the fall, I still don't know how I was able to survive."

Arceus shook her head, **"It may have been an internal instinct that rescued you, and as for your body, I have contacted one of the many hidden aura guardians to assist in healing you, her name is Alice, a healing guardian; however, she will not be able to heal you immediately, but she will be able to greatly quicken the healing process."**

"Hold on a minute, what's a 'healing guardian'? Is there more than one kind?"

 **"Yes, in fact, there are three classes of aura guardians: first, there are battle guardians, their aura more suitable for combat and physical properties, then there are the healing guardians, able to easily manipulate their aura in hundreds of ways for medical purposes, and finally, there are the knowledge guardians, their aura similar to the psychic abilities of pokemon, though it comes much more naturally and much less straining,"** she paused for a moment, smiling at me, **"and then, there is you, the grand guardian, capable of using the unique abilities of each guardian with much greater power, as well as having your own unique abilities."  
**

"So, that's why you said that my ability was one that had never been seen before?" I asked.

 **"In a way, yes, but the ability I spoke of was the synchronization of yours and Diamond's auras, this was something no other guardian has ever accomplished, and the grand guardian is the only one capable of this ability. But, you should know that there was one grand guardian before you, he was lost over a thousand years ago to the darkness, the same darkness that threatens the world again."** The room began to slowly fade away like the last time Arceus spoke to me, **"Not all has become clear yet, but as you are still young and inexperienced, I will give you time to adapt to this new information before our next meeting."** The room flashed one final bright light that caused me to fall into unconsciousness like before.

 _ **-POV Diamond, 1st Person-**_

"Diamond, please get some rest," Prince pleaded.

"No!" I told him, just about shouting.

"Diamond, during the two days that Master Aura has been here, you have barely slept at all, nor have you had a proper meal," he retorted, trying to keep a polite tone.

"You don't understand, Prince, I _can't_ sleep! Not until I know Aura is going to be okay!" I yelled, tears streaming down my face.

My ears quickly perked up as I heard a quiet groan coming from our trainer, I whipped my head to his face and saw his eyes begin to open. "Aura!" I practically shouted as I stood up on the chair, tears stinging my dry, bloodshot eyes, "I... I thought you'd n-never wake up," the tears ran down my cheeks, dampening the already dark lines of fur from earlier tears, "I-I thought I lost you f-forever." I hunched over the edge of the bed, my tears dripping onto the sheets, and leaving behind dark spots.

My breath caught in my throat as I felt a shaky hand placed against my cheek, I placed my paw over it and looked into Aura's weak eyes, "Diamond... I would never leave you... Any of you... You all mean too much to me."

I continued crying, not of sorrow this time, but of joy, relieved to see Aura was alive. My grip tightened on his hand as a very small, quivering smile found it's way to my lips, "I love you, Aura."

He weakly smiled at me, staring deep into my eyes as I stared back into his, our eye contact only breaking when he looked to the door as someone began knocking, he looked back at me with a weak smile, "Could you?"

Knowing what he meant, I nodded and stepped down from the chair, opening the door to see a tall nurse with long, light green hair, standing in the hall. I looked up to the woman, expecting to see her wonder why a pokemon was answering the door, though she just smiled, "Hello, you must be Diamond, Aura's Braixen," I nodded, "I'm here to speak with Aura about his injuries, may I come in?"

I looked back at Aura, seeing him smile and nod, ("Um... I guess so.") I opened the door wider, allowing the nurse to pass before closing it behind her, then I went back to my chair and climbed up next to Aura.

As the nurse walked up to Aura's bed, he looked up at her and smiled, catching me a bit off guard, "So, you're Alice?" He asked the woman.

She smiled and nodded, "Yes, I assume Lady Arceus told you I was coming?"

Prince and I looked at them both, eyes wide in shock, ("Lady Arceus?!") Prince asked, dropping his chivalrous tone for a moment.

She nodded, "Yes, did Aura not inform you?"

I looked to him, wanting to be mad about not telling me something so important, but the look on his face made me forgive him, ("N-no... Aura hadn't told us...")

She slowly shook her head with a small smile, "Well, to keep it short for now, Aura and I are aura guardians, and since Aura is a very important guardian, Lady Arceus asked me to come heal him, probably because I'm one of the only healing guardians that work at this hospital."

("Healing guardian?")

She looked over to me, "Yes, I can manipulate my aura to heal injuries... And you don't need to use telepathy, aura guardians are naturally capable of understanding pokemon."

I nodded, finally knowing why Aura could understand us, "So, how does it work?"

She chuckled, "I'll show you." Prince, Aura, and I all watched as Alice held her hands close to Aura's body, amazing us all when they started shining with a green energy, Aura's body soon glowing the same hue.

As the veil of energy faded, Alice withdrew her hands with a look of accomplishment on her face, while Aura had a look of shock on his, "I... I feel great, like I never got hurt in the first place."

"I'm glad, but you still need to let your injuries heal for a bit, broken bones still take time to heal, even with aura, but they will heal much faster now, probably within a few days so long as you take it easy," she looked to Prince, and then to me, "also, you should probably make sure to tell these two about what Arceus had said while you were unconscious, it would definitely make everything a lot easier."

Aura chuckled, "Yeah, I'll make sure to do that."

She nodded before going to the foot end of the bed and picking up a board with a paper attached, "Hmm, I should probably get some of this stuff changed."

"What do you mean?" Prince asked.

She unclipped the paper and held it up, "This paper shows Aura's diagnostics." She could see the confusion on our faces, so she cleared her throat and continued, "In other words, it shows what's wrong with him."

I fidgeted a bit with my hands, "Um, Alice? What exactly does it say is wrong with Aura?"

She smiled and started reading off the list, "Well, even though he was able to use his aura to slow down your guys' momentum and cushion the fall a bit," I could see Aura look confused about this, like he didn't remember doing that, "he still sustained some serious injuries; though, mainly just broken bones, they say it should take him about couple months to heal," I looked to Aura, feeling sympathetic for him, "but, since I used my aura to help him recover, he should be good to go in about a week, maybe even sooner."

Aura was shocked, "Wow... Thanks, Alice."

"Hm, don't mention it, I'm just doing my job as a healing guardian, not to mention following orders from Lady Arceus herself."

"Well, thanks anyways, and I'll make sure to explain everything I can to these two."

Alice nodded and turned around, only taking a few steps towards the door, before she looked back with a grin, "Oh, and you should notice something else slowly heal itself as well, it'll probably be done in an hour or so, just a little gift from me." Aura thanked her, and she finally stepped out of the room, leaving the three of us alone in silence.

Aura sighed, "Well... I guess you guys want me to tell you what Arceus told me? Right?"

I placed my paw on Aura's hand and nodded, "Yeah, if we're going to be mates, I should at least know about something so important... Especially if it involves the legends."

"Well, I didn't think there's any reason not to," he looked towards the Riolu, "Prince, why don't you slide a chair over here, so you're not just standing on the floor the whole time." He nodded and pulled a chair over to the bed, climbing up as Aura suggested.

Once we were both ready, Aura began telling us about his encounter with Arceus, about the classes of guardians and his role as the grand guardian, how he is meant to lead the other guardians against a great evil that threatens our world, everything he said amazed us.

After he finished his explanation, Prince quickly bowed in respect, "I am honored to serve such an important master, especially one with such an important role in our world."

Aura chuckled, "Please, Prince, don't try to act even more like a servant, I'd rather you treat me like before, and not like I'm some god or high being. I may have an important role to play in all this, but being your trainer comes first, before any guardian duties."

I held Aura's hand in my paw, "Thanks, Aura, you really are the best trainer a pokemon could ask for," I pecked his cheek, "not to mention mate."

He chuckled as I mentioned that, "I just thought of something," he looked up to the ceiling, "would we be considered boyfriend and girlfriend, since I'm a human, or would we be mates, since you're a pokemon?"

I giggled with a faint blush, "It doesn't matter what you call us, as long as I have you, I couldn't care less."

He smiled warmly, but he perked up as he remembered something, "Oh yeah, how long have I been out?"

Prince immediately decided to answer, "About two days, Master Aura, why?"

He rubbed his chin, mumbling something to himself, "Okay guys, could you two do me a big favour?"

I was a bit upset about him cutting my affectionate moment short, but I just shrugged it off, knowing Aura wouldn't do that on purpose, "Sure, what do you need?"

"Could you go check up on Stan? See how he's doing? And if he's ready to leave, could you bring him here?"

I smiled at him, forgiving his minor interruption, "Oh, Aura, it's just like you to put others before yourself."

"Is that a bad thing?" He asked, looking at me a bit unsure.

With a short snicker, I gave him a quick peck on the cheek, "Of course not, that's one of the reasons I love you so much," he smiled at me, and I hopped off the chair, "come on, Prince, let's go get our new teammate."

The riolu nodded and hopped down as well. "Be safe you two, I'll see about calling them so they know you're coming," Aura told us.

We turned back and nodded, "Okay, we'll be back as soon as we can."

 _ **-POV 3rd Person-**_

After asking one of the nurses for directions to the Pokemon Center, Prince and Diamond headed out to fulfill Aura's request to check on Stan.

The two pokemon came up to the Pokemon Center, and as they entered, they saw Dan at the desk, speaking with Nurse Joy.

He noticed her glance behind him with a somewhat confused look, so he turned around and donned the same look when he saw the two pokemon walking up to them, "Uh, hey guys, what're you doing here?"

Prince quickly explained to them through telepathy, ("We've come to check on Stan, and if possible, bring him back to the hospital.")

Nurse Joy perked up, "Oh, you must be Aura's pokemon," she stepped out from behind the counter, "he called a few minutes ago to let us know a Riolu and a Braixen would be coming to check on the Shinx he brought in a few days ago."

Diamond nodded, ("Yes, may we see him?")

She nodded, "Of course, he's recovered well, I'll take you to him right away."

Dan quickly spoke up, "Mind if I come? I could probably help you bring him to Aura."

"Thanks, Dan," Diamond said, he nodded and they all followed Nurse Joy to the room Stan was being kept in.

She opened the door and let the three of them in, "Hi, Stan," Diamond greeted.

He looked over, recognizing the Riolu, though almost not recognizing the Braixen, had he not seen her necklace, "Diamond? Is that you?" She nodded, "Wow, you evolved? When did that happen?"

The Braixen sighed, explaining what had happened two days ago. The story left Stan a little surprised, "Wow... I'm sorry that happened," Stan paused, "but... at least something good came out of that? Right? I mean, you evolved, and now you and Aura are mates."

She rubbed her arm, "Yeah, I guess you're right, though, that's not everything that happened."

The feline tilted his head, "What do you mean?"

"I think it would be best if Aura explained it to you." Stan was a bit confused, but he let it go for now.

Dan stepped forward, "Uh, guys? We should probably get moving, it's starting to get a little late."

Diamond turned to him and agreed, though, Stan looked at him a bit curiously, asking who the human was, "Oh, this is Dan, he's traveling with us, and he's gonna help bring you to the hospital." Dan gave him a small wave, but yet again, he reminded them about the time.

The trainer picked up the Shinx, and they started to leave the Pokemon Center, though not without retrieving Stan's ball from Nurse Joy.

* * *

With the sun slowly beginning to set, they hurried back to the hospital, quickly going up the elevator and to Aura's room.

As they entered, Aura looked over to them, a little surprised that Dan was there, but he waved them all over, "Hey, guys, glad you made it back safely."

Dan walked in and set Stan on the bed's white sheets, "Hey, Aura, how you doing?" He asked, handing Aura Stan's ball.

He stretched and smiled with excitement, "Great, thanks to Alice."

"Who's Alice?" Dan inquired.

Diamond tapped his arm, "She's the nurse who helped Aura," she looked at her new mate, "speaking of which, maybe you should also explain to Dan about what you told us? He is traveling with us after all."

Aura shrugged and nodded, "Hm, yeah... You're probably right."

Dan looked from the Braixen to the bed-ridden trainer, Stan doing the same, "What do you mean? Something wrong?" Dan asked.

He chuckled, shaking his head, "No, it's good news, though, I don't know if you'd believe me," he said, trying go hide a smirk.

Diamond sighed, "Aura, just tell them."

"Alright alright," Aura took a deep breath, "well, we've learned why I was able to do all those strange things, and why I can understand pokemon," Dan ushered him to continue, making Aura smile as he told him, "it turns out, that I'm an aura guardian."

The two looked at him with surprise, and a very faint hint of disbelief. Dan decided to question it further, "Aura guardian?"

Aura and the two pokemon who already knew about this, nodded their heads in confirmation, "Yes, Master Aura was visited by Lady Arceus in his sleep, it truly came as a shock when Miss Alice confirmed this was true."

"Alice?" Dan asked.

Diamond nodded, "Yeah, Arceus had Alice help Aura recover a lot faster," she paused, remembering how bad Aura looked before Alice had healed him, "and I'm glad that she did, Aura looked like he was in so much pain," she shook away her worry, "but, since she used her healing aura, Aura should be fine in a few days."

Aura perked up, "Oh yeah, I don't know how I almost forgot about this, but I figured out what Alice meant when something else would heal itself."

Stan and Dan watched as Diamond and Prince perked up, "What was it?" The Braixen happily asked.

He smiled, "Let's just say, that I never got a good look at you when you first evolved, but now I know that you look absolutely beautiful as a Braixen." Diamond blushed as Aura just looked at her with a sly smile.

"Th-thank you, but... I don't see what that has to do with being healed."

Aura found her blush to be cute, "Hm-hm, what I'm saying is, I guess Alice healed my eyesight while she was healing my bones."

Diamond had a joyful look, quickly leaning over and hugging her trainer, though the other two still didn't know what was going on, "Not to be rude or anything, but can someone please tell me what's going on?" Dan asked.

Aura chuckled, "Right sorry, I'll start from the beginning..."

Aura began to explain to the two, everything that Arceus had told him, about the aura guardians, how he was the grand guardian, and how he was destined to defeat a great evil that threatened their world.

"Holy shit, man," Dan ran his hand through his hair, "you really have a big responsibility on your hands."

"Heh, yeah, but nothing I can't accomplish as long as I have my family with me." Their little touching moment of excitement was interrupted by a knock on the door, Aura calling them in right away.

The door opened, and Alice stepped in with a clip board in her hands, "Hey guys, just came to drop off Aura's updated papers." She looked over and noticed two new faces, "Oh, you must be Aura's friend Daniel," she looked from the other trainer to the small feline, "and you must be Stan, the Shinx Aura rescued a few days ago."

Aura nodded, "Yeah, but, how did you know their names? I never mentioned them..." He paused as it clicked into his head, "Let me guess, Arceus told you about them?"

She giggled, "Yeah, she felt it was necessary to inform me about everyone traveling with you, but, that's not really important right now," she walked over and set the new medical data in the little pocket at the foot end of the hospital bed, "I came here to update your diagnosis, and to let everyone know visiting hours are over." Aura looked over to the window, only now noticing it had gotten dark outside.

"Oh, okay," Dan walked over to the door, "I should head back to the Pokemon Center anyways, night guys." They returned the farewell, and Dan left the room.

Alice turned her attention back to Aura and his pokemon, "Oh, I'm also sorry to tell you this, but your pokemon need to be returned to their balls, it's a company policy, though, one that I wish we didn't have." Alice had turned her head and mumbled that last part.

Aura shrugged, "Well, I can't argue with that," he took the pokeballs of Prince and Stan, and held them out, "sorry guys, hope you don't mind sleeping in these for a few nights." They shook their heads, letting him know it was fine, Aura nodded and returned them to their balls, setting them back down.

Diamond felt a little nervous, watching Aura set the others' pokeballs on the nightstand, half expecting Aura to try to return her as well, but he didn't make any attempt to pick up her ball. She didn't understand why he did this, "A-are you not going to return me, too?"

He shook his head, then looked up to Alice, "I hope you don't mind, but I'd prefer to have Diamond sleep with me, she doesn't like being in her ball, and I don't plan on putting my girlfriend in there without a good reason to."

Diamond smiled, a few tears of joy welling up in her eyes. Alice chuckled, "That's fine, I heard from the other nurses that she refused to go back into her ball while you were unconscious, so we just decided to let her be, besides, I'm not going to separate two lovers when one could use the other's comfort."

"Thanks, Alice, have a good night."

She nodded and went to the door, "You too." Alice left the room and they could hear her footsteps walking down the hall.

"Well, Diamond?" She turned around to see Aura had shuffled over a little, "Aren't you gonna get into bed?"

The fox blushed, "O-oh, right yeah." Diamond unlatched her necklace and set it on the nightstand, slowly climbing into the bed next to Aura, snuggling up with her new mate under the covers.

Aura wrapped his right arm around her, enticing a small 'eep' from the pokemon as he pulled her a little closer, though she soon melted into the embrace. "You feel so warm," he told her, making her blush.

"Th-thank you."

Aura leaned down and planted a kiss on the vixen's forehead, "Good night, Diamond."

Her blush brightened, but she continued to smile, stretching so she could plant a kiss on Aura's lips, "Good night, Aura... I love you."

Aura reached over and pressed a button on a remote, turning the lights off, and curling up against his mate, "I love you too."

The new couple laid there, happily smiling until they finally fell asleep.

* * *

 **Chapter eight is complete, I plan on having the next few chapters take place in Lumiose City. I actually forgot that he wore glasses when I originally wrote this, so I just added that very small detail about him regaining his vision last minute; and I really hope you guys liked my little head cannon for aura guardians, more of these head cannons will be appearing over time.**

 **If you like the story so far, you can show your support by** ** **favouriting** and ******following**. Got something you wanna say? Leave a review; I make sure to read all of them, and respond to any questions I receive in a "reviews" section on the next chapter. I enjoy interacting with my readers, and feedback is always helpful.  
**

 **Don't forget to check out my profile for more stories.  
**

 **That's all for now, thanks for reading.**


	9. Chapter 9

**=Reviews=**

 **Orivon Firefist:** Aura was able to survive the fall by tapping into his aura abilities and slowing down their momentum just enough so he could survive, plus he's got Arceus lookin' out for him. And as for the assistance with your story, I'm probably not the best person to get advice from, seeing as I have only been writing for a little over a month, why not ask RagingWolf2124? You are doing a colab with them aren't you? They might be able to give you some pointers. BTW, your story is pretty interesting, Debby is easily my favourite character, and I'm glad that you like my story, who knows, maybe Wolf will read mine some time.

 **ivanvukadin1997:** I'm glad that you like my story, and your idea sounds interesting, but I'll have to kindly decline. Having another grand guardian alive would disrupt the plot greatly seeing as the last grand guardian was lost thousands of years ago according to Arceus.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 9: Shopping Spree**_

Two days into Aura's recovery, him, Diamond, Prince, and Stan have been sitting in his hospital room watching TV for most of that time.

Diamond let out a sigh, "You alright?" Aura asked his girlfriend.

"Isn't there anything else to do other than watch TV?" She asked with a groan.

"I have to agree with Diamond, I am a bit tired of sitting around and doing nothing," Prince said.

"I don't mind watching these shows, they're really interesting," Stan told the group, still watching the game show that was on the small TV.

Aura thought about this and came to a conclusion, "How about I have Dan take you two to the mall? I'm sure there are plenty of things to do there."

Diamond looked at Aura with a concerned look, "What about you? You can't leave the room for another few days."

"I don't mind, I want you all to have fun," Aura told her, "besides, maybe you could get a few things while your there."

"Well... I guess I could get a backpack to help carry supplies, considering that I travel outside of my ball."

The trainer nodded, "Great, I'll call Dan and see if he's available." Aura reached over to the nightstand, picking up a cordless phone and dialing the number of the Pokemon Center.

It rang a few times, then there was a click and the familiar voice of Nurse Joy, "Hello, South Lumiose Pokemon Center, Joy speaking."

"Hello, Nurse Joy? This is Aura, I was wondering if you could put me through to Daniel Sanlow?"

"Of course, one moment." There was a few beeps and a small click, then the phone began to ring again, with Dan soon answering.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Dan, I have a favour to ask, are you busy right now?"

There was a short pause, "No, I'm free, what do you need?"

"I was wondering if you could take Diamond and Prince down to the mall for a while? They're kind of tired of just sitting around, doing nothing."

Another pause followed, Aura heard a muffled conversation, then Dan replied, "Sure, I can do that, when should I come by and get them?"

"I guess when ever you can get here."

"Alright, I'll head over right away, see ya soon."

They both hung up and Aura set the phone back on it's charger, "Dan's gonna be here as soon as he can, to take you guys to the mall."

A little while passed, and Dan had finally arrived to pick the two up. "Thanks for doing this, Dan," Aura dug through his wallet for some money, pulling out a few bills, "Here, it's not much, but I hope it should be enough to get Diamond a backpack and sleeping bag, and to maybe take them out to get something to eat."

Dan took the money from Aura and put it in his pocket, "Thanks, but why get Diamond a backpack and sleeping bag?"

Diamond decided to answer that question, "I want to have a backpack of my own so I can help carry stuff, since I travel outside of my ball, but, I didn't ask for a sleeping bag."

Aura nodded, "I know, but because you evolved, you've also grown quite a bit compared to when you were a Fennekin, we might not be able to both fit in my sleeping bag anymore."

Diamond was a bit upset that she could no longer share a sleeping bag with Aura, but she knew he was right. "I guess you have a point."

"So, when should I bring them back?" Dan asked.

"Hopefully before nine, that should give you guys plenty of time."

Diamond looked to Aura, placing her paw on his hand, "Are you going to be okay?"

He chuckled, "Don't worry, Diamond, I have Stan to keep me company." Aura scratched the Shinx's head, he let out a small mew and started purring.

"Alright, take care of him, Stan," Diamond said, nodding towards the Shinx, although a little reluctantly. Stan looked at Diamond and gave her a small nod, too into the scratching to answer properly.

The three of them left the hospital, and began heading to one of the malls in Lumiose City.

* * *

They stood in the very large building, both pokemon amazed by the sheer size of the inside. "So, what do you guys wanna do first?" Dan asked, Diamond and Prince's stomachs let out some low growls, "I guess that answers my question."

Diamond blushed, "Something to eat would be nice." Prince agreed with her.

"Well then, let's see if we can find a Trainer Cafe." They continued through the mall, spotting a Trainer Cafe and walking towards it.

As they crossed the threshold, a woman in a waitress outfit greeted them, "Hello, welcome to our Trainer Cafe, how many shall we be serving today?"

"Just the three of us," Dan told the lady, she picked up some menus and lead them to a small booth.

"And what shall I get you and your pokemon to drink?"

"Oh, these aren't my pokemon, I'm just looking after them while their trainer is in the hospital," Dan explained with a wave of his hand and a nervous laugh.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to here that," the lady sadly said, looking at the two pokemon sitting next to each other.

("It's alright, Aura wanted us to go out and have fun,") Diamond said to the waitress.

The woman was somewhat surprised by Diamond being able to use telepathy, but she shrugged it off as the norm. "Since you can use telepathy, what would you like to drink?"

("Could I have a pecha juice?") Diamond asked.

("Just water for me,") Prince told her.

"And I'll have a soda," Dan said.

The waitress nodded her head, "Alright, I will be back with your drinks in a bit."

The waitress left and the trio picked up their menus, a short while later the waitress returned with the drinks and set them on the table, "Now, have you decided what you would like?"

Diamond and Prince pointed to the food on their menus, meanwhile, Dan read over his order, "Could I get a burger and some onion rings? Oh, and a plate of pokepuffs for these two." She wrote down their orders and walked off.

"What are pokepuffs?" Diamond asked, her head tilted to the side in confusion.

"They're like little mini cakes meant for pokemon, I'm sure you two will love them."

Diamond was still confused but she decided that she will find out what they are soon enough.

The waitress returned, balancing all of the plates on a platter, she set them down in front of them. "Is that all you'll be having?"

"Yes, thank you," Dan told her. She nodded her head with a smile and walked off, leaving the three to their meals.

The three contently ate their meals with little to no talk, and as they finished, Diamond looked at the pokepuffs curiously; though Prince took one into his paws, sniffed it, and slowly bit into it.

("These are wonderful.") he said, swallowing and taking another bite.

Diamond saw the joyful look on the Riolu's face, she picked up a pokepuff and slowly bit into it, her face lighting up at the very sweet taste, she quickly finished the one she had and reached for a second one. ("You're right, Prince, these are really good.")

Dan chuckled, "Told you so, and if you want, we can get you guys some more afterwards, they usually sell them in Pokemarts." Diamond happily nodded, as her and Prince continued eating the puffs.

After the pokepuffs were finished, they walked to the front and paid the bill.

"Alright, what should we do now?" Dan asked, putting his wallet away.

"Well, I still need to get a backpack and a sleeping bag, do you know where to find them?" She asked curiousely.

"Yeah, those can be found in practically any Pokemart," he paused and looked around, pointing out a shop with a blue sign above the door, "and there's one right over there."

Prince and Diamond followed the human's lead as he lead them into the shop.

They browsed around the aisles, finding all sorts of supplies for trainers and pokemon alike; potions, pokeballs, antidotes, vitamins, and even pokepuffs. Diamond stopped as she saw the pokepuffs, quickly getting Dan's attention, she grabbed three boxes and held them up, "Mind if we get some of these?"

"I don't see why not, Aura did give me money to buy you guys stuff." Dan took the boxes and placed them into the basket he was carrying.

They continued a little farther down the aisle, grabbing a few potions, berries, batteries, matches, food, a sleeping bag for Diamond, and different types of status healers like burn heal and antidote. When they turned the corner there was a wall of backpacks coming in all kinds of colours, "Alright, Diamond, which one do you want?"

She walked up the the bags, looking closely at each one, soon she settled for a hot pink backpack with black trims. They walked to the register and set everything on the counter, allowing the girl behind it to scan the items and place them all into bags, though, she looked a bit confused as to why Dan was buying a small pink backpack and sleeping bag meant for children.

He noticed her confusion and quickly explained himself, "Oh, those aren't for me, they're for my friend's Braixen, she wanted a bag to help carry stuff on our journey, and her trainer wanted to get her a sleeping bag as well." The woman smiled in understanding, telling him he was a good friend for taking her out to get it.

After they finished in the Pokemart, they wandered around for a bit, then headed back to the hospital when they saw that it was getting late.

* * *

While the others were out at the mall, Aura and Stan had been watching TV for most of that time, although, Aura had been thinking about the gym, and whether or not he should challenge it once he had recovered, not wanting to make a decision before asking his pokemon for their opinion.

Aura's mind had been elsewhere; he was in a self debate on whether or not to face the gym once he had recovered, but he didn't want to put his pokemon into battle without their consent.

He was pulled back to reality as there was a knock at his door. "Come in," he called. The door opened and Dan let Diamond and Prince enter before he stepped in and shut the door. "Oh, hey guys, how was the mall?"

"It was okay," she took off her new backpack and set it over by Aura's, "I got a backpack and sleeping bag now, and Dan also took us out to eat, speaking of which." Diamond dug through her bag and pulled out a few boxes.

"Are those pokepuffs?" Aura asked.

"Yeah, Dan got us some pokepuffs at the cafe, so I asked if we could get some at the Pokemart," she set them down on a small table, "and we also bought some more supplies for when we leave the city."

Aura thanked them, his mind trailing back to the question he wanted to ask them. Dan noticed his spaced out expression, "Hey, something wrong?"

He shook his head, "No, in fact, I wanted to ask you guys something."

"What is it, Master Aura?"

"I wanted to ask you guys if you wanted to face the gym before we left."

Diamond and Prince looked to each other, a quick nod exchanged by the two before looking back to their trainer, "If you want to challenge the gym, Aura, we'd be more than happy to fight by your side."

Prince placed a paw on his chest and bowed, "Agreed, you do your best to make sure we are happy, so we will gladly return the favour and fight by your side."

"Thanks guys, I just wanted your opinions before deciding."

"If they're fighting, I'll fight too."

Aura looked at the shinx, "Are you sure? Just like I've told these two, so long as you're with me, you don't have to fight if you don't want to."

He shrugged, "Well, I do want to fight, I may not be strong, but I love a good battle, and I feel like I owe you for saving my life."

Aura smirked and looked among the three pokemon with motivation, "Alright, as soon as me and Stan are fully recovered, we'll start training and take on the Lumiose gym."

The pokemon each raised a paw in the air and let out a collective cheer.

Their moment of determination was interrupted by a knock at the door, and soon it opened with Alice stepping into the room, "Hey, Aura, just checking in to let you know that visiting hours are over, and you need to return you pokemon."

He sighed, taking Prince and Stan's pokeballs and returning them after a quick "night guys."

Dan scratched his head, "I should go too, see you later, Aura." He returned the farewell, and Dan passed Alice and walked down the hall.

"Well, I'd better get going, I promised Lee I'd try to get home a little earlier tonight."

"Lee?" Aura questioned.

"Oh, he's my boyfriend, he usually helps me here at work, but his sister's visiting for a while, so he's taking some time off."

Aura nodded in understanding, "Well, don't let us keep you, have a good night, Alice."

"You too." Alice stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her, and leaving the two lovers alone.

Diamond yawned and snuggled up to her mate, resting her head against his chest as her eyes slowly closed, "Good night, Aura."

He gave her a quick kiss on her forehead and turned off the lamp, "Night, Diamond, sleep well."

The two laid together in silence, soon falling asleep in each other's embrace.

* * *

 **If you like the story so far, you can show your support by** ** **favouriting** and ******following**. Got something you wanna say? Leave a review; I make sure to read all of them, and respond to any questions I receive in a "reviews" section on the next chapter. I enjoy interacting with my readers, and feedback is always helpful.  
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 **Don't forget to check out my profile for more stories.  
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 **That's all for now, thanks for reading.**


	10. Chapter 10

**This was originally chapter 11, but I removed the original chapter 10 so I could add the Lumiose gym battle, so I bumped this chapter, and the next few chapters down by one so I could add the gym battle as chapter 13.**

 **This chapter contains lemons. Lemons are not my strong point in writing but they should improve overtime.  
**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 10: Claiming a mate**_

Another few days had passed since Alice had healed Aura, with his bones now fully restored, it was finally time for him to return to his journey.

As morning came, the sun shined brightly through the clean white curtains of Aura's hospital room, landing directly on the eyes of a certain Braixen as she lay asleep, with her body pressed against her trainer, her head and paw resting on his chest as her leg lay intertwined with his.

Diamond stirred as the morning sunlight shined on her closed eyelids, she slowly opened them and let out a quiet yawn while shifting herself into a sitting position. She slowly got out of the bed and walked towards the bathroom to do her business

She exit the bathroom to see that Aura had awoken, and he was currently looking outside the window at the morning sunrise.

"Good morning, Aura, did you sleep well?" Diamond asked, walking over to the bed in hopes of cuddling with her trainer more.

"Yeah, though I was worried for a moment when I woke up to see you weren't lying next to me."

"Sorry, I had to get up and use the bathroom this morning," she said, climbing back into the bed and leaning up against Aura.

"Heh, I still remember how awkward I felt having to explain to you how a bathroom works, but I'm glad that you've learned more and more about human technology and culture over the past few days."

Diamond blushed, she too remembering just how awkward that conversation had gone, "I'm just glad that you get to leave the hospital today, I admit that being able to cuddle with you all day does feel great, but I would also love to get back on our journey."

"I feel the same way, it'll be nice being on the road again after being bedridden for a whole week," Aura said, Diamond nodded in agreement.

A low growl came from Aura's right, he looked at the vixen as a small blush formed on her cheeks, "I'm guessing you're pretty hungry?" He asked.

Diamond stayed silent until her stomach let out another growl, she meekly nodded her head before saying, "Yeah, could you maybe call Alice and see if she could bring up some breakfast?"

"Sure, could you pass me Stan and Prince's pokeballs?" Diamond reached over and picked up the two pokeballs that sat on the bedside table, while Aura pressed the service button on the little remote.

Diamond handed the balls to Aura saying, "Here."

"Thanks, Diamond." Aura kissed her head as he took the balls and released his other two pokemon.

"Good morning, Master Aura," Prince greeted.

Stan yawned and pawed at his eyes, "Morning, Aura."

"Mornin' guys, I just called up Alice so we can get breakfast, you guys want what we had yesterday?" They nodded in confirmation.

A few minutes passed before a knock was heard at the door, "Come in!" Aura called.

The door opened, and in stepped the green haired nurse, "Morning guys, I assume you're wanting breakfast?" She asked.

"Yeah, same thing we had yesterday if you could," Aura responded.

"Sure thing." Alice left the room, returning a few minutes later with their breakfast. Aura thanked her, but before she left, she had something she wanted to ask, "Hey, Aura? I was wondering if you could stop by my place tomorrow, Lee and his sister have been dying to meet you."

Aura shrugged, "I don't see why not, we'll be staying in Lumiose City a little longer anyways since we're going to face the gym."

Alice smiled, "Well, thanks, and good luck with your battle."

He nodded, "Thank you, and what time should we come over?"

"I have all of tomorrow off, so maybe sometime around nine if that works for you."

"Sounds great, see you then."

Alice turned to leave, but she remembered something else she needed to tell Aura, "Oh, by the way, you should be able to leave by this afternoon."

"Thanks for everything, Alice, see you tomorrow." Alice waved back to them as she walked out of the room, leaving the group to their breakfast.

About two hours passed before another knock came to the door, Aura called them in, and the door opened to reveal a tall man with a doctor's coat, "Hello, Mr. Borealis, I'm here to inform you that it's time for you to be checked out of the hospital," he took some papers from a clipboard and handed them to Aura, "fill these out and give them to the receptionist before you leave."

"Thanks, I'll be sure to do that right away." Aura sat up and took the papers.

The doctor left the room, and Aura returned Prince and Stan, before he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, they had removed all the medical equipment the day prior, but kept him in the hospital for an extra day, just to be safe, Aura stood up and stretched, walking over to his clothes. As he made his way over, Diamond let out a quick squeak and turned her head, covering her eyes with a deep blush, Aura turned around, "What's wrong, Diamond?" He asked.

"C-could you put on some pants?"

Aura was confused and was about to ask why, but he soon got his answer when he felt a breeze run along his backside, reminding him that hospital gowns didn't have backs, his cheeks lit up and he quickly gathered his clothes before heading to the bathroom to get dressed.

 _ **-POV Diamond, 1st Person-**_

"Heh, sorry about that, Diamond, after lying in a bed for a whole week, I forgot that I wasn't wearing anything under the gown." Aura told me, as we walked down the clean white halls towards the elevator.

I shyly shook me head, me cheeks still tinted red, "It's okay Aura, I was just shocked a bit."

Aura sighed, we reached the elevator and descended to the first floor, leaving the small box and walking towards the receptionist desk.

When we reached the desk, Aura cleared his throat to get the attention of the lady sitting behind it, "Oh, hello there, how can I help you?" She asked.

"I'm here to check out of the hospital, I have my forms right here," Aura said, placing the sheets of paper on the desk.

The receptionist looked over the release forms, she put them down and looked back up at Aura, "Okay, everything seems to be in order, now before you go, is there anything you would like to ask?" Aura shook his head and the lady smiled, "Alright then, have a nice day, Mr. Borealis."

"You too." Aura and I spun around and walked out of the hospital, starting towards the Pokemon Center from before.

Aura had a spring in his step from finally being out of the hospital, but I was being distracted by my own thoughts, _"Should I ask him? What if he doesn't want to... But, he did say he would only do it if I wanted him to... Screw it, I'll ask him tonight... I just hope he feels the same way."_

 _ **-POV Aura, 1st person-**_

As we entered the Pokemon Center, I approached the front desk to rent out a room for the next few days. Nurse Joy greeted us in her usual cheerful tone, "Hello, Aura, it's nice to see you've recovered."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy, but I was hoping we could rent a room for a few days, we're going to try taking on the gym before we leave the city."

She nodded, "Okay, what kind of room can I put you down for?"

I was about to answer her question, but I felt Diamond gently tug on my shirt, making me look down at her in question. "Um, Aura? Could we get a room for just the two of us?"

Looking at her confused, I just shrugged my shoulders and looked back to Nurse Joy, "Um, do you have any rooms with just a single bed?"

She nodded, "Yes we do, I'll mark you down for a Class D suite."

Still not fully understanding the different classes of rooms, I decided to finally ask, "Nurse Joy? I've actually been wondering, what's with the different classes of suites? Are some just better than others?"

"Oh, not really, they all look relatively the same, the only difference is the price and the actual size of the room; Class D and C suites are almost identical, though D has one bed while C has two, and they're free for registered trainers, otherwise, they would normally cost around 500 to 1,000 Poke; next is the B Class, they're just a little bigger than the C Class, but have two separate bedrooms, they usually cost 5,000P; then there's the A Class, which is practically the same, but has three bedrooms and a private bathroom in each, they cost 25,000P; and finally, there's the VIP Suite, though they're usually only available to a registered VIP."

"Wow... Thanks for explaining that, now I know that I haven't actually been paying for my rooms."

She chuckled, "Yeah, but we still need each trainer to scan their ID to keep track of what trainer is where, and if any extra costs might be needed, like for damages and stuff." I felt a bit worried about the hole in our previous suite, though she quickly reassured me that it wouldn't come at my expense, seeing as we were not the cause for it and wouldn't be held responsible.

With this new information, I finished renting a Class D room for Diamond and myself, taking the key and going upstairs.

 _ **-POV Diamond, 1st Person-**_

As soon as we had arrived at our suite, Aura had dropped off his bag by the foot end of the bed and pulled out a towel and his shorts, "Hey, Diamond, I'm gonna take a quick shower, I could really use one after lying in a bed all week."

I watched Aura walk towards the bathroom, _"Now's my chance."_ I took a quick breath, trying to compose myself; as Aura reached for the doorknob, I quickly got his attention, "Aura? Could I... ask you something?"

He turned around, "What is it?"

I fiddled with my fingers, "Uhm, would it be okay if I... maybe... showered with you?"

Aura's face flushed red, "I guess so... but, why do you ask?"

I turned my head, trying to conceal a blush, "W-well, when humans are in love... don't they sometimes... bathe together?"

"I suppose so... You really want to?" He asked, I shyly nodded my head, and he just sighed, "Well, if you really want to, then it's fine with me." I perked up a bit, happy that Aura was okay with bathing together, though I still felt a little shy about what I hoped to ask him while we bathed.

Aura opened the door and allowed me to enter, before he shut it and began stripping down, I averted my gaze to the wall on my right, though unable to hold myself back from taking short glances at my trainer every few seconds, hoping he didn't notice.

He began adjusting the water before ushering me into the tub, stepping in shortly after me and changing the water course to the showerhead above, surprising me a bit when the hot water began raining down on me.

I kept my gaze fixed to the front of the tub, only glancing back as I heard the familiar snap of a shampoo bottle opening, followed by Aura's voice, "Do you want me to help you wash up?" I slowly nodded, he let me know he was going to start, and I soon felt the chilly substance against my back, though as Aura began to massage the shampoo into my fur, I couldn't help but coo at his gentle touch.

I took a quick breath, deciding now would be a good time to ask, "Aura?"

I felt his hands stop, "Yes?" His voice sounded a bit nervous.

I turned around, nearly forgetting about the scars on his chest, even though they made no difference to how I felt in that moment, "I was wondering... well... when pokemon are in a relationship... it's the male's job to... 'claim' the female," I shyly said, getting quieter near the end.

He paused, "Are you asking me to... you know... mate with you?" I nodded my head, facing the floor with my face flushing brightly. I heard him sigh, "Well... I mean... I know we're in a relationship, but... you really want to?"

I looked up, "Yes, Aura, I love you, and I want you to claim me as your mate..."

There was a short pause where we both said nothing, then I felt Aura wrap his arms around me, "Diamond, I love you, and I always will... So if you really want to, then I'll do it." Our lips pressed against each other's, locking us into a passionate kiss, only breaking apart for air.

We quickly finished our shower and dried off before going back out to the main room.

 _ **-POV 3rd person-**_

The couple exit the bathroom, Diamond went over to the bed and sat on the edge, while Aura walked up and set aside his towel.

"So... how should we start?" Aura asked, trying to be as polite as he could.

The blush on Diamond's face grew as she twiddled her fingers, "Well... this is my first time... so, I don't really know what to do."

Aura sat next to her and rubbed her leg, "It's alright, this'll be my first time too, but, I do know a way we could start, after that, it should just come naturally."

"O-okay, what do we do?"

Aura stood up, telling the vixen to spread her legs, and although she didn't understand why, she complied, spreading her legs and presenting her virgin slit. Aura got to his knees and shuffled closer, he could sense Diamond felt nervous about this, but he reassured her that it would feel good.

Having no reason not to trust her trainer, Diamond relaxed, cooing as she felt Aura's hands slowly rub her inner thighs. Unaware about what Aura would do next, her body flinched as she felt Aura's tongue touch her slit. She bit her bottom lip, moaning from the sexual pleasure this new experience brought.

Aura smiled, licking her slit from the bottom to the top, sending the Braixen into a euphoric bliss as his tongue rubbed against her little nub.

For a split second, Diamond had thought they were finished, completely caught off guard when Aura dug his tongue into her hole, making her moan at a much higher volume from the pleasure as he licked at her insides.

He felt her walls clamp down, knowing Diamond was about to reach her climax, and when it came, she practically screamed as she instinctively held Aura's head with her hands, keeping him pressed against her hole as her juices sprayed against her lover's mouth.

With her sexual high dying down, she fell back onto the bed as her walls loosened, allowing Aura to pull his face away from the pokemon's pussy and lick the juices around his mouth, noticing the distinct flavour of pecha berries mixed with a hint of cinnamon.

Diamond blushed, "That was amazing." She said, completely out of breath.

Aura chuckled, "We're not done yet." She looked almost shocked about this, but the burning in her nether regions screamed for more. Aura could see the desire for more in the fox's eyes, "You ready for the next part?"

"Yes, Aura, I want you to claim me."

"Alright then, scoot up a bit so we have more room." Diamond crawled her way up to the center of the mattress, Aura instructed her to spread her legs again, and this time, she didn't hesitate. Gladly presenting her pink folds to her trainer, he climbed on the bed and held himself over Diamond, one hand on either side of her head, and his body positioned between her legs, "You ready for this?"

She nodded her head, feeling Aura's tip press against her dripping folds, and soon begin to slowly enter her womanhood. Diamond sharply inhaled through gritted teeth, and Aura stopped halfway, asking if he should stop. Diamond shook her head, "N-no, its, just a bit big, just, go slow."

Aura nodded and continued pushing, soon feeling a wall, "This is only going to hurt for a moment, but it will go away."

She wrapped her arms around her trainer's neck, holding him close, "Do it," she whispered.

Aura pulled back, thrusting his hips forward, and breaking the Braixen's hymen while hilting her at the same time, a small amount of blood trickling out of her hole. He felt her claws dig into his back, she only got out a short, pain filled scream before Aura muffled it with a kiss, only pulling back once her screams died down.

They sat there for a few minutes, waiting for Diamond's pain to subside. "Okay... you can start," she whispered. He complied, and began to slowly thrust his hips, making the short vixen let out small moans of pleasure.

Within five minutes, Diamond had become a moaning wreck, her noises of pleasure getting louder and louder, and Aura could soon feel his climax approaching, Diamond's walls began to clamp down, telling him she was close, too. "D-Diamond, I'm gonna cum," he grunted out.

She wrapped her legs around Aura's waist, holding him in place as her walls clamped down on his shaft and her warm juices burst from her womanhood, this had finally driven him over the edge, his thrusts became erratic, and she could feel his warm seed filling her womb.

They held onto each other until their sexual high had left them. Aura pulled out of Diamond, some of his seed spilling out of her as he lay next to her, both of them panting heavily, "That was amazing... let's have a quick nap before I start on supper."

Diamond turned, smiling at her mate, "Yeah... I love you, Aura."

"I love you too, Diamond, and I always will." Aura wrapped his arm around the fox and kissed her forehead, "Have a good sleep."

"You, too." The two closed their eyes and quickly fell asleep from their exhaustion.

* * *

 **To be completely honest, I kind of regret the way I started off, because looking back I feel the lemons scene just felt unnatural, but hopefully this shouldn't be an issue as the story progresses. This one was just bad timing and bad planning but remember this is my first story and I was very inexperienced around this time still. Examples of my current writing skill and style can easily be found in my other stories, but for now thank you all for reading this far and I hope you continue reading till the end.**

 **If you like the story so far, you can show your support by** ** **favouriting** and ******following**. Got something you wanna say? Leave a review; I make sure to read all of them, and respond to any questions I receive in a "reviews" section on the next chapter. I enjoy interacting with my readers, and feedback is always helpful.  
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 **Don't forget to check out my profile for more stories.  
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 **That's all for now, thanks for reading.**


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11: Respect your pokemon**_

Aura awoke with a yawn, sitting up and stretching before looking to his right to see Diamond, still fast asleep, he couldn't help but smile warmly at the sleeping fox. Aura carefully moved the blanket off himself and got out of bed without waking Diamond, he went to his backpack and pulled out some clean clothes and quickly got dressed, he then went to the kitchen to start cooking supper.

 _ **-POV Diamond, 1st Person-**_

I felt something push against my forehead, making me stir and slowly open my eyes, when I looked up I saw Aura warmly looking down at me. I pushed myself up and pressed my lips to his for a second before lowering myself back down onto the pillow, smiling warmly with my eyes half-lidded, "Good morning, Aura."

"Morning? It's five in the afternoon," he joked.

I sat up and forced a grumpy expression, "Well I just woke up, so it's morning to me," I said, trying my best to sound grumpy.

"You're adorable, you know that?" My grumpy expression quickly left as I giggled cutely from the compliment. "Come on now, I made supper." I got out of bed and walked towards the table, where four plates of food sat. As I seated myself, Aura let Prince and Stan out of their balls, asking them if they were hungry.

The energetic Shinx happily hopped in place, "Yeah, I'm starving."

"Yes, I could use something to eat." Prince was more calm than the electric type, but I could tell he was still hungry.

"Well then, dig in." Prince climbed onto a chair while Stan boosted himself onto the table with another, and as Aura sat down, we had all begun eating what he had made. While we ate, Aura set down his fork and cleared his throat, catching our attention, "Alright guys, since we're going to be facing the gym in a few days, what's say we go down to the battlefield after supper, and see about getting some training in before then?"

We looked at each other, giving silent nods before answering, "Sure, the more training we get done the better."

"That's the spirit, let's finish our supper and get down there before all the trainers are gone." And with that, we all continued eating the delicious food Aura had made, after he cleaned up the dishes, he returned the other two to their pokeballs and we headed down to the lobby.

* * *

After checking the outdoor battlefield and seeing no trainers, Nurse Joy suggested we check the indoor field.

As we approached the doors to the indoor battlefield, we heard shouting from inside. Aura and I looked at each other before he opened the door, we stepped inside and saw a crowd of people watching a battle.

On one side stood a boy in a yellow t-shirt and blue shorts, and on the other was a man with short, dark red hair, green eyes, and pale skin, he wore a black jacket with red trims, dark blue jeans, and black shoes. On either side of the field was a Zigzagoon and an Eevee.

"What's going on?" I asked Aura.

He shook his head, "I don't know."

My attention was pulled to the battle as I heard the red haired man shouting to his Eevee. "Colton, use bite!" The Eevee ran at the Zigzagoon and chomped down on it's neck, a small amount of blood seeping from the wounds. The Eevee shook it around a bit before tossing it's unconscious body to it's trainer's feet.

"No! Zigzagoon!" The other boy shouted. He ran to his Zigzagoon, holding it in his arms before returning it to it's pokeball.

"Ha! You're pathetic, you should just forget about being a trainer." The boy ran from his side of the field, passing us as he fled the room. "So, who else has the guts to take on my team?!" The red haired man shouted again.

I noticed Aura tightening his fists in anger, "What's wrong, Aura?" I asked him.

"That's the same trainer who nearly killed Stan," he quietly said, before walking to the opposite side of the field, I followed quickly behind him.

The man stopped laughing when he caught site of us, "Ha, look who it is, how's that worthless Shinx doing for you? I bet he fits perfectly with the rest of your pathetic team."

"My team is not pathetic!" Aura shouted.

"Oh yeah? Prove it in a battle then, three rounds, no time limit."

I could tell Aura was reluctant, I grabbed his hand in my paw, making him look down at me as I gave him a reassuring nod, "I know you want to teach him a lesson, and I do too, no one makes fun of our family."

He smiled and nodded his head, before looking back at the trainer with a serious expression, "Fine, I'll battle you."

He grinned back at us, "Perfect."

 _ **-POV 3rd Person-**_

After a few minutes of preperation, and talking to the referee, their battle was ready to commence.

"The match between trainers, Aura and Tyler, is about to commence, this will be a three round match with no time limit, trainers can only substitute after each round! Battle begin!" The ref shouted. Aura and Tyler both threw out a pokeball.

"Go Prince!"

"Zangoose, time for battle!" The pokeballs popped open in the air and shot out white beams of light, revealing the two pokemon on either side of the field. Tyler didn't hesitate to call the first attack, "Zangoose, hone claws, and then slash!" Zangoose began scraping it's claws against each other, sharpening them and making them glisten in the light, it then charged at Prince with it's claws glowing.

"Dodge with quick attack, and hit it with force palm!" As Zangoose approached quickly, Prince sped to the right and began charging power in his paw, although before he got a chance to attack, Zangoose spun around and quickly delivered a powerful blow to the Riolu, knocking him back a few feet. "What the hell?!"

"Are you telling me you didn't know hone claws boosted a pokemon's attack and accuracy? What a rookie."

Aura clenched his fists, as Diamond looked at her teammate worried, "Alright, Prince, get close and use blaze kick!"

Prince stood up and sped off towards the red and white cat ferret with his left leg enveloped in flames. Tyler grinned, "Close combat!" Once Prince was close enough, Zangoose began delivering a barrage of swift punches and kicks to the small dog-like pokemon. Aura could do nothing but watch as Prince got beaten to a pulp, Zangoose delivered one final blow and sent Prince flying across the field, hitting the wall behind Aura, and creating a small crater.

"Riolu is unable to battle, Zangoose wins, round one goes to Tyler!" The ref shouted.

Aura returned Prince to his ball, "Thanks, buddy, you did well." Aura placed the ball back on his belt and pulled off another as Tyler returned Zangoose and looked down at the Eevee by his side, it nodded and ran onto the field as Aura tossed his ball in the air, a bright flash appeared and Stan emerged from the ball. "Alright, Stan, this will be our first battle together so make it count."

"Ha! You're using that worthless Shinx?" Tyler laughed.

"His name is Stan, and he is _not_ worthless!"

The ref blew his whistle, "Round two, start!"

"Go, Stan, use your tackle attack!" Stan charged at the small fox and hit it head on.

"Colton, right yourself and use swift!" The Eevee spun in the air, it's tail giving off a faint sheen as he produced a barrage of stars directed towards the feline.

"Dodge it!" Stan leaped to the right to avoid the attack, but the stars circled around and hit him directly.

"Pfft, you must be new, didn't you know swift is almost always guaranteed hit? And with Colton's training, his swift has never missed it's target!"

"I may be new, but at least I treat my pokemon with respect! Use flash!" Stan lifted his tail, and the star at it's tip lit up brightly, blinding the Eevee momentarily, "Now, spark!" Stan's body began sparking, and soon became enveloped in an electrical energy before charging at the Eevee and knocking it in the air.

"No!" Tyler shouted in anger and disbelief as Colton hit the ground in front of him.

"Eevee is unable to battle, Shinx wins, round two goes to Aura!"

"Good work, Stan!" Aura aimed Stan's ball at him and returned him to it, but not before the small lion was able to flash a bright smile. Tyler returned his pokemon as well.

"Well well well, it looks like it's all tied up," Tyler grabbed another ball from his belt, "but sorry to say, you won't be winning this fight. Go, Druddigon!" Tyler tossed the ball into the air, releasing a large dragon pokemon with blue and red scales.

"GRAAAAAH!" It roared, making most of the audience cover their ears.

"Fuck, that thing looks powerful, are you sure you want to do this, Diamond? I can call it off if need be."

Diamond looked up at Aura and shook her head, "No, just like you, I want to show him that pokemon aren't just tools for fighting," she said, before walking onto the field.

"Round three, begin!" The ref shouted.

Thinking quickly, Aura shouted his first command, "Diamond, hit it with cut!" Diamond drew her stick from her tail, it began glowing white and changed shape to look like a blade before she charged at the large dragon.

"Counter it with slash!" Druddigon's claws glowed white as he charged at the small fox, the two attacks collided, and seemed evenly matched for a mere second, before Druddigon overpowered Diamond and sent her flying through the air.

"Diamond!" Aura shouted in concern. When she landed on the ground at his feet he fell to his knees and lifted her head, a little blood streaming out of her nose and mouth, "Are you okay, Diamond?!"

Diamond coughed, a little bit of blood flying from her mouth, "Y-yeah, I'm gonna be alright, Aura, go back to your spot and let's finish this battle."

"But, Diamond, I-" he was cut off when Diamond placed her finger over his mouth.

"I'm fine, remember, we're strong as long as we're together." Aura smiled, tears beginning to well up in his eyes before blinking them away and looking up at their opponent with a serious expression.

A thin veil of energy enveloped the two, just like it had during their Santalune gym battle, Aura helped Diamond to her feet and they walked beck towards the field. Their eyes began to glow a faint hue of purple, but it soon disappeared to reveal their eyes were now matching, their right eyes coloured scarlet red, while their left were royal blue.

"Heh, you think that little light show is gonna scare me? Think again asshole, Druddigon, use focus blast!" A bright orange ball of energy began forming between the palms of the dragon's paws, growing larger by the second before being sent towards Diamond at high speeds.

"Light screen!" Diamond's aura momentarily flashed into a bright pink, then back to a scarlet red. The attack hit the fox directly, kicking up a large cloud of dust and smoke.

"Ha! I'd like to see your _pet_ handle that... What the hell?!" As the smoke cleared, Diamond stood where she was, practically unfazed by the powerful attack. "How the hell could that puny thing withstand such a strong move?! Grah, it doesn't matter, Druddigon, use dragon claw!"

A green draconic energy formed large claws on the Druddigon's arms as it sped forward. "Counter it with cut!" Diamond's stick glowed white before changing it's form to resemble a sharp blade. Druddigon closed in, as he swung his claws, Diamond swung her blade, deflecting the dragon's attacks.

"Come on, Druddigon! My father didn't give you to me so you could lose a battle to a worthless Braixen! Metal claw!" The green energy around it's arms changed colour to a metallic grey, and he charged at Diamond with great speeds.

The energy surrounding Aura grew in size, blazing bright with anger. "No one calls Diamond worthless! Use psybeam!" Diamond could feel Aura's rage, and she used that feeling to give herself strength. She dismissed the white blade and began to twirl her stick like a baton, after a few seconds, she stopped it with the tip pointed towards the dragon, blasting it with a pink beam of pure energy. Druddigon was forced off it's feet, flying past it's trainer and colliding with the wall behind him, creating a large crater.

The crowd grew silent for a moment, then exploded into a roar of applause. "Druddigon is unable to battle, Braixen wins, so the victory goes to Aura!"

Diamond spun around as the light dissipated from around the two, and their eyes returned to normal. She ran to Aura and leaped into his arms, the two embraced lovingly. "We did it, Aura, we won!" Diamond cheered happily.

"Yeah, and maybe we'll have a chance against the gym leader." Diamond smiled and pushed her face closer to his, locking their lips in a passionate kiss, earning some mixed emotions from the crowd, some cheering while others looked almost disgusted, though, a majority looked happy for the couple.

Tyler fell to his knees after returning Druddigon to it's ball. "How... How could I lose to some Pokephile and his pathetic Braixen?!" He shouted.

Aura felt anger build inside himself, he set Diamond down and stormed his way over to the fallen trainer, his fists tightening to the point his fingernails dug into his skin, when he was only a foot away, he looked down at him with anger. Tyler looked up with an expression of pure hatred, just about to say something before Aura reeled his arm back, a thin veil of blue energy encasing his fist as he swung it against the side of the trainer's face, knocking him to the ground, and earning a few gasps from the crowd, even a few small cheers. "Call me what ever you want, but never, I repeat, NEVER, call my girlfriend pathetic, or any other pokemon for that matter!" Aura turned and walked back to Diamond, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "Come on, Diamond, let's get you and the others healed up, you all deserve a rest after that fight."

Diamond nodded, the small hint of fear she had quickly washed away as she followed her mate back into the main room and towards the front desk.

* * *

 **When you read a story or watch an episode, doesn't it piss you off when someone mistreats a pokemon? It sure as hell pisses me off. Pokemon are not tools for fighting, they are both our friends and our family. And never think otherwise, or else Aura will have a field day with you :3**

 **So yeah, how did everyone like this chapter? Sorry it was short, but I threw in that fight scene last minute and felt it was a good note to end on.**

 **If you like the story so far, you can show your support by** ** **favouriting** and ******following**. Got something you wanna say? Leave a review; I make sure to read all of them, and respond to any questions I receive in a "reviews" section on the next chapter. I enjoy interacting with my readers, and feedback is always helpful.  
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 **Don't forget to check out my profile for more stories.  
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 **That's all for now, thanks for reading.**


	12. Chapter 12

**=Reviews=**

 **Orivon Firefist:** Thanks, but remember, Aura is still new to being a trainer, he's only been traveling for about two to three weeks including the time he's been hospitalized, plus he was under pressure to show that his pokemon weren't pathetic and weak, that is why he forgot that Hone Claws raises attack and accuracy and why he said dodge when it was Swift, he was scared that if he lost then people really would think that his pokemon were pathetic.

 **guadalupe junior 18:** I don't plan on making this a harem story, especially with Aura, it would destroy the entire plot completely. So don't worry about that Zoroark tag, it's for something MUCH later in the story and for something completely different, I just added it early so the story shows up in more searches :3. It's not false advertising, I promise there will be a Zoroark later in the story, multiple actually, but that Zoroark tag is for one specific Zoroark.

(Edit: Zoroark tag was removed for reasons.)

* * *

 _ **Chapter 12: A friendly visit**_

 _ **-POV Unknown, 1st Person-**_

I sat there in my office, wine glass in hand, and a cigar between my teeth; in my lap, a Flareon was napping as I stroked it's head softly. I pulled the cigar from my teeth and exhaled the smoke, before ashing it and returning it to my mouth. There was a knock at the doors of my office, "Come in," I called. The door opened and a woman in a red suit walked in, "What is it?"

"Sir, I am glad to inform you that squad A has returned with the items from overseas, shall we commence the next phase of the plan?" The woman asked.

"No, not yet, I wish to have the boy before we begin."

"Very well, sir, I will have a team set up to capture him when he least expects it, and what of his pokemon?"

I scoffed, "I don't care for them, do with them as you please."

"Yes, sir." The woman saluted, before turning and walking out of my office. I felt the Flareon shifting in my lap.

"Ah, Flare, nice to see you awake." I told her, petting her head, she began to let out a sound similar to a purr.

"Well it's kind of hard to sleep with all that noise."

"My apologies, shall we return to our chambers for some proper rest?" The Flareon looked up and smiled at me, she hopped off my lap as I stood up, and we walked to one of the doors on our left.

 _ **-POV Aura, 3rd Person-**_

Aura and Diamond walked down the hall to the lobby of the Pokemon Center, it was fairly early in the morning, exemplified by the sleepy Braixen that walked by her trainer, almost leaning on him for support. Diamond held a hand over her mouth as she let out an audible yawn.

"Still feeling a bit tired?" She just nodded her head, "Sorry for waking you up so early, I just wanted to get to Alice's place on time."

The Braixen let out another yawn, "How are we going to even find her place?"

Aura pulled a slip of paper from his pocket, "While you guys were being healed last night, she stopped by and gave me the address." Diamond just nodded again, slowly starting to lean more against Aura for support.

After helping Diamond descend the stairs, Aura spotted Dan walking towards the front door, with Nessa and Spyke at his sides. "Hey, Dan!" He quickly called after them.

He turned around, looking for who called him, smiling as he spotted Aura and Diamond slowly make their way towards him, "Morning, you two, decided to get an early start on your training?"

Aura shook his head, "Actually, no, we're going to go visit Alice today, she invited us over yesterday. Where're you headed off to?"

Dan pulled a pokeball from his belt and held it in front of himself, "I decided that I would try to speak with Professor Sycamore about Missy, I can't believe I never thought of this before," Dan set the pokeball back onto his belt with a quiet click, "since he researches pokemon, I figured I should ask him if he could give me any clues about what illness Missy has."

Even though Diamond was still very tired, she was listening to their conversation, feeling really bad for the Sylveon, "I really hope the professor can help you, Dan," her voice was quiet and sleepy, but Dan understood well enough.

"Thanks, Diamond, I'll see you guys later." Dan waved as he walked out of the Pokemon Center, heading in the direction of the lab.

Aura looked down at his girlfriend, "Come on, Diamond, let's get to Alice's, we still have to find her place in this big city." He chuckled to try lightening the mood.

The Braixen cracked a small smile, "Okay, I just hope I can make it before falling asleep," she said with a chuckle of her own, though it was very quickly followed by a yawn.

 _ **-POV Aura, 1st Person-**_

A good few minutes had passed since we left the Pokemon Center, the bright sunlight mixed with the city noises had started waking the Braixen from her tired state, allowing her to regain her senses. Though as we walked through the crowded streets of Lumiose City, Diamond's grip on my hand tightened, as she pulled herself closer and closer to my side, cautiously looking around at our surroundings.

I smiled down at the short vixen, startling her a bit when I pulled my hand from her grasp, but she calmed down again as I rest it on her far shoulder, and held her against me, "Still not the biggest fan of large crowds?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

Diamond's head sunk as she leaned in closer to my side, holding her hands together as they rested at her waist, "Sorry, Aura, I guess I'm still not used to being around so many people," a bus honked as it drove past us, making her paws quickly jumping to her ears as she held them down, "or all this noise."

Keeping her pulled close, I tenderly rubbed her shoulder as I tried to reassure her, "It's alright, Diamond, you've been making great progress with getting over your fears." I paused to take a look at the people around us, a small smirk tugging at my lips, "But, I can understand why being around so many people would unsettle you," she looked up at me curiously, "afterall, you are much smaller than most people here."

For a split second, she looked almost angry at me, maybe even a little hurt that I would say this, but her expression quickly changed to a sarcastic scowl as she lightly hit my side with the back of her paw, stopping and taking a step back to scold me, "Just wait until I evolve, then I'll be around the same height as you," she said, matter-of-factly.

I smirked at her newfound confidence, "I know, I'm just teasing you a bit," I pulled her back to my side and we continued walking, "just make sure to save some of that confidence for our gym battle." She giggled as she leaned against my side, "Now come on, I think Alice's place is just down this next street."

Me and Diamond turned the corner, finding the address Alice gave me relatively fast, and walking up to the door.

"You sure this is it?" Diamond asked me as I knocked.

I checked the paper, "Yeah, this is the address Alice wrote down, so it should be correct."

We heard the click of the door's lock and watched it open, a blue, bypedal canine pokemon stood in the entryway, ("Can I help you?") The Lucario asked us.

I cleared my throat, "Yes, does anyone by the name of Alice live here?"

("Yes, and you are?")

"Oh sorry, I'm Aura, and this is Diamond, Alice asked us to come over today."

The jackal grinned and dropped his telepathy, "Ah, so you're Aura," the Lucario stepped forward and extended his paw, "my name is Lee, it is an honor to meet you, Grand Guardian."

I awkwardly chuckled as I reached for his paw, "It's nice to finally meet you too, Lee, but please, forget the formalities, I get enough of that from my Riolu."

We both shared a short chuckle, "Well then, would you like to come in?"

"Thank you." Lee stepped back to allow Diamond and myself into the home. "It's very nice in here, quite cozy."

Lee shut the door and smiled, "Thanks, Alice and I have been going for a sort of... modern victorian style." He paused to think of the correct term.

"Well you sure did a good job," Diamond added in, though she had no idea what a 'modern victorian style' should even look like.

Lee walked down the hall towards a large archway, "Would you like anything to drink? I just made some coffee."

I shrugged, "I guess so, since you're offering and all."

"Could I maybe have some pecha juice?... If you have any," Diamond asked.

The Lucario nodded his head and gestured to a couch, "Please, have a seat and I'll bring out some drinks." Diamond and I sat on the plush sofa as Lee walked into the kitchen, though he poked his head out soon after, "Do you take milk and sugar in your coffee?"

"Just sugar is fine." He nodded and pulled his head back into the kitchen, though I did have a question for him now, "Hey, Lee, where's Alice?" I questioned.

The jackel called back from the kitchen, "She went to the market to pick up some things," Lee walked back in with a tray in his paws, "there was a culinary breakthrough where some chefs discovered how to create a sort of 'artificial meat' without harming pokemon."

Lee began pouring two cups of coffee and handed one to me, he then handed a glass of pink juice to the Braixen beside me. "But, what about all the stuff you get from eating real meat? Like vitamins and stuff."

The Lucario took a sip of his coffee, "That's the best part, they found a way to recreate everything from the real meat; flavour, texture, and all the nutrition it gives you."

"Amazing, I'd love to try some," Diamond said, before taking a swig of her juice.

The door was heard opening and a familiar voice called out, "We're back, Lee, has Aura stopped by yet?"

"Yeah, him and Diamond are in the living room with me."

The familiar green haired nurse walked around the corner, her green hair tied back in a ponytail and a bright yellow sundress covered her body, from her arms hung three large shopping bags.

I was a bit surprised when another Lucario stepped out from behind the woman, this one had a somewhat rounded belly, and some more 'developed' breasts on either side of her chest spike.

"Hi, Aura, glad you could make it, you too, Diamond." Alice exclaimed in a cheerful tone, I smiled in return, but Diamond seemed to be entranced by the new Lucario, or rather, her body.

"Thanks for inviting us, Alice, but, might I ask who this is?" I gestured to the womanly Lucario that now stood beside Lee.

The Lucario in question was about to answer, but Lee beat them to it, "Heh, that's my sister, Lana."

Lana gave Lee a cold stare that made him jerk back and elicite an awkward laugh. Lana sighed, "It's nice to meet you, as my brother said, I'm Lana, and I presume you're Aura?" I nodded my head.

"Mm-hm, nice to meet you too," I placed a hand on the Braixen, who was still staring at Lana, "and this is my girlfriend, Diamond."

"Nice to meet you." Lana nodded towards the small fox, and I had to nudge her with my shoulder to snap her out of her trance.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, nice to meet you too." Diamond replied, though she continued to stare at the Lucario's rounded figure.

Lana giggled, "Don't worry, I know you're curious about my body." Diamond shyly nodded, "Well, to put it simply, I'm pregnant."

Diamond's face lit up, "Really? That's great."

Alice smiled at the Braixen's reaction, "Yeah, Lana and my brother have been wanting a child for a while, you should have seen the look on John's face when Lana told him the good news." Alice snickered at the thought.

"Wait, your brother?" I questioned.

"Yeah, Johnathon and my sister are mates, but he had to drop her off here because he had to go overseas for business," Lee explained.

"Huh, well anyways, what did you want me to come over for, Alice?"

"Well, since you only just recently learned that you're an aura guardian, I thought I could answer any questions you have, and maybe teach you a few things about our history, maybe even show you how to use some healing aura. But first, I need to go put these groceries away." Alice walked through the archway that lead to the kitchen.

"That would actually be really helpful, when Arceus first told be about the guardians, she didn't give me much detail, so I actually do have a few questions."

"Great, why don't you and Diamond stay for lunch then? I'm dying to try out this new replica meat." Alice called back from the kitchen.

The vixen's stomach growled, making the fox hold her belly and blush, "I wouldn't mind staying, we did have a small breakfast, and it's not like we're in a rush or anything," Diamond stated.

I looked down at her and smiled, "Alright then, I guess we'll stay for lunch."

"Great, let's move this conversation to the kitchen so we can talk as I cook." Me, Diamond, Lee, and Lana all walked to the kitchen and sat at the table, and Alice began teaching me of our history, and more about the individual guardians' abilities as she cooked, though for most of that time, I had noticed Diamond staring at Lana with an almost wishful look to her.

 _ **-POV Dan, 3rd Person-**_

Daniel walked up to the large set of doors, he sighed deeply, "What if Professor Sycamore can't tell me what's wrong with Missy?"

The boy felt a small hand pat his leg, "Don't worry, Daniel, like you said this morning, the Professor knows a lot about pokemon, so he might be able to atleast give us a clue about what's wrong with Missy."

He sighed through his nose, "You're right, Nessa, but, I'm just worried that he might not have an answer."

"Don't worry, Danny, I've known the Professor my entire life, and I also know that he _will_ have an answer to our situation," Spyke exclaimed.

"Thanks guys," Dan sighed again, "well, might as well get this over with." He pushed the doors open and walked into the large lobby of Sycamore's research lab. "Professor Sycamore?" Dan called, he heard footsteps and looked up to the top of the stairs, walking down them was the Professor.

"Hello, Daniel, what brings you here?" He asked the trainer.

"Hi, Professor, could I talk-" Dan paused and shook his head, "I _have_ to talk to you, it's about something very important."

"Well then, come with me and we can discuss it in the lounge." Dan followed Professor Sycamore down a hall, and into a cozy little room with a viewing window out into the garden. "Please, have a seat," he sat down on a sofa, while Sycamore sat on the one across from him, "now, what is it that you need to speak to me about?"

Dan took a deep breath to calm his nerves, "A few months ago, my mom's Sylveon fell ill with a strange disease, she keeps getting weaker and weaker as time goes on, so I was hoping that maybe you could shed some light on what exactly is wrong with her." A few lone tears fell down Dan's face as he concluded his explanation. Nessa gently rubbed her trainer's back, while Spyke pat his leg to reassure the trainer.

Sycamore looked at the young trainer with sympathy, "Tell you what, Daniel, I'll do what I can to figure out what's wrong with your Sylveon."

Dan looked up at the Professor with hope, "Really? Thank you, Professor."

Sycamore nodded, "Let's head to my lab, then we can start doing some tests to figure this out." Dan and the Professor left the lounge and traveled down a few halls before coming to a glass door. The Professor slipped a key card through a scanner and the door slid open, "Alright, let's see this Sylveon of yours."

Dan nodded and plucked a ball from his belt, he pressed the release buttons on the side and the pokeball sprung open and out came a pink eeveelution. "Professor, this is Missy." The Sylveon groaned and laid on it's belly.

"Oh my, it really does look serious, get Missy on the examination table, and I'll get things started." Dan carefully picked up the pink pokemon, and placed her on the table as Sycamore began attaching wires to her body.

A few hours went by as Dan and the Professor were busy examining Missy, and after a little longer, they had finally come to a conclusion.

"This is really strange," the Professor stated.

"What is?"

"The data I'm getting from Missy is very similar to that of a pokemon with the Pokerus virus."

"Then why does she keep getting weaker? Shouldn't Pokerus make them stronger?"

He nodded, though it didn't seem like a happy nod, "That's right, Pokerus is a virus that makes pokemon much stronger, but it causes their lives to become much shorter, this is very similar to what Missy has, but instead, she's getting weaker, and her life isn't just shorter, it's literally be drained from her body."

Dan felt himself beginning to panic, "But, isn't there a cure for Pokerus? I-I've seen advertisements and everything."

"Yes, there is, but I tried giving her the curative medicine, and it doesn't seem to be having any effect, this seems to be a whole new strain of Pokerus, one that hasn't been recorded yet."

"So, there's no hope for Missy?" Dan looked down in absolute sorrow.

"I didn't say that," Dan looked back up at Sycamore, "I'll get a team together to work on finding a cure for this new strain of pokerus, but until then, keep giving Missy that medicine your uncle made, it seems to have slowed the effects."

Dan quickly nodded, "Alright, thanks a lot, Professor, thank you for helping Missy."

"It's no problem at all, Daniel, by helping Missy, I can gather more information about this new strain and hopefully find a cure so it doesn't become a problem in the future."

After a few more minutes of gathering data, Sycamore unhooked Missy from the machines and allowed Dan to return her, saying one last thank you to the Professor, Dan and his other two pokemon left the room, starting back towards the lobby.

"See, Dan, I told you the Professor would have an answer."

Dan chuckled, "Yeah, you were right, thank you both for helping me get through this."

Nessa pat her trainer's leg, "No problem, Daniel, we're happy to help you."

"Thanks again, now let's head back to the Pokemon Center."

Dan and his two pokemon walked into the lobby, there he saw Aura looking out a bay window into the pokemon garden, "Aura? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be training for the gym?" Dan inquired.

He turned around and greeted his friend, turning back to the window as he spoke, "Yeah, but after me and Diamond left Alice's place, we were told that you were still here, so we came to wait for you, maybe let you in on a few things she taught us about the guardians while we're walking back."

Nessa looked around, "Speaking of which, where is Diamond?"

Aura gestured to the window, "See for yourself." Dan and his pokemon walked to the window and peered through it, they couldn't help smiling at what they saw. Diamond sat on the ground with two Delphox nearby, cradled in her arms was an adorable ball of yellow fur. "When Diamond saw that baby Fennekin, she asked if she could go in there and play with it, the staff member allowed it, and she's been in there for about twenty minutes." Aura tapped on the glass, catching the young vixen's attention, he motioned for her to come and she smiled, Diamond stood up and handed the baby fox to it's parents, bowing in thanks, and rushing back to her trainer.

When Diamond came through the door she had a big smile on her face, "You have fun?" Aura questioned.

The fox happily nodded, "Yeah," Diamond's smile shrunk, yet still showed happiness, "I wish I could be a mother, I would love to have a kit to call my own."

Aura kneeled down in front of his girlfriend, "Who knows, maybe one day you and I will have a kit," he said in a somewhat joking yet serious manner, "but I hope you don't mind waiting until later, I don't think I'd be ready to be a dad yet." Aura chuckled a bit with his usual caring smile, Diamond smiling in return and the two came together in a warm embrace, pulling apart after a few seconds, "Anywho, we should get back to the Pokemon Center, we still have a bit of training to do before our gym match tomorrow."

"Right, we have your second badge to win." Aura put a finger to Diamond's lips, shaking his head.

"You mean 'our' second badge." They smiled at one another, then Aura stood up and lead them back to the Pokemon Center to begin their training.

* * *

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	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry if the start of this chapter is a bit low quality, and if this chapter is very short, I added this as a replacement for the original chapter 10, but since this wasn't actually planned, it's a lot harder to write.**

 **Also, when I finally reached this chapter and was gonna get started, I ran out of my ADHD pills, so I had a really hard time focussing on my writing, this lead to me being stressed out, in turn making writing even harder, which made it even harder to write, thus creating a loop of inactivity and unproductivity. But, once I got my pills refilled, I was able to actually finish this chapter, and I think it turned out pretty good.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 13: Lumiose Gym Battle**_

Everyone stepped out of Aura's suite, their morning had been spent training, and after taking a short break for lunch, they were ready for the gym battle ahead.

"Alright guys, you ready for our gym match?" Aura asked, locking the door and leading the others down the hall.

Stan was practically bursting with excitement, "Ooh, I can't wait to battle, I'll make you proud, Aura."

Aura looked a bit guilty as he looked down to the Shinx, "Sorry, Stan, but I'm only going to be using Prince and Diamond in this battle."

The feline looked almost a little hurt, "What? But, I want to help you win the badge too, so why can't I battle?"

Aura sighed, he kneeled down and pat the Shinx's head, "I'm really sorry, Stan, I don't want to offend you, but, I found out this gym uses electric type pokemon, so your attacks wouldn't do much to them in terms of damage."

His head sunk as his ears and tail drooped, "Oh... I get it..." Stan took a quick breath, looking back up to his trainer with a smile, "Then I'll make sure to cheer you on from the sidelines."

Aura chuckled and pat the pokemon on the head, "That's the spirit, now let's go."

They all left the Pokemon Center, walking through the bustling city towards Lumiose Tower for Aura's second gym battle.

"So, you think you're ready for your match?" Dan asked.

Aura looked over and shrugged, "I honestly can't say for sure, but as long as I have my family with me, we should be fine." He set his hand on Diamond's shoulder, looking down at her with a smile, which she returned with one of her own, and they all walked inside the building.

* * *

The doors opened as Aura and the others stepped inside, the room they walked into looked a little similar to Santalune City's gym, though it didn't have all the photos of pokemon.

They approached the desk and caught the attention of the man behind the counter. "Oh, welcome to Lumiose Tower, how can I help you?"

"I'm here for a gym battle," Aura told him.

"Ah, okay then." He tapped at his computer and a a light lit up on a card reader by the computer, "If you could please scan you Trainer ID," Aura did so and the light blinked green, "okay, you're all set, just go through those doors and you'll reach the battlefield."

Aura thanked the man and they headed through the doors he pointed to, they looked a little heavy, but slid open with ease as they approached, passing through and entering a large room.

Aura let Stan out of his ball, "Alright, Stan, follow Dan to the stands and cheer for us, okay?"

The little Shinx nodded happily, "I'll do my best."

Just as the two stepped up to the stands, and Dan let out his pokemon to watch the battle, Aura noticed a light flash on at the other side of the field, revealing a short boy with yellow hair and a blue jumpsuit, "Are you here to challenge the gym?"

Aura and Diamond looked to each other and nodded, "Yes, I am Aura Borealis, and I wish to challenge the Lumiose gym for my second gym badge!"

They heard the boy chuckle, looking up at them with his large glasses glimmering in the light, "I accept your challenge." He snapped his fingers, the rest of the lights turning on and brightening the battlefield.

A man in a black and white shirt walked into the large room and stepped to the field's sidelines, raising two flags above his head, "This will be an official gym battle between Clemont, the gym leader, and Aura, the challenger, each side will use two pokemon, and the battle will be over when either side is unable to continue, are both trainers ready?" Clemont and Aura nodded, "Alright, battle begin!"

* * *

Either trainer unclipped a pokeball from their belts, throwing them into the air, while calling out to their pokemon.

"Magnemite, go!"

"You're up first, Prince!"

With both pokemon on the field, Aura decided to call the first attack, "Quick attack!"

Prince took his stance and sped off towards the magnet pokemon, but Clemont smirked and thrusted his hand forward, "Send it off balance with metal sound!"

Magnemite screeched and clanged it's magnets together, rubbing them vigorously and creating a soundwave that did, in fact, knock Prince off balance as Magnemite effortlessly floated over him as he began to slow down.

The canine slowed to a stop as he held his ears in pain from the unbearable screeching, Aura tried to call to him, but he couldn't hear anything.

Clemont called to his Magnemite, commanding an attack, though it was unheard by the others.

Clemont's Magnemite ceased it's ear splitting screech, giving Prince a moment of relief until he felt a strong bolt surge through his back. Prince screamed as his body spasmed with the electricity.

Magnemite ceased his thundershock attack, watching as Prince slumped to the ground, struggling to push himself up. Aura called to the small dog, trying to give him some determination to stand strong and keep fighting, "Prince! Don't let yourself be beaten by a little lighting, you're strong, and I know you can beat it!"

With one final push, the Riolu stood back up, though he did wobble a bit before finding his footing and standing strong, "Sorry for worrying you, Master Aura, I await your command."

Aura smiled, knowing Prince was alright, "Since Magnemite is a steel type, get in close with quick attack and strike it down with blaze kick!"

Prince set one foot back, then pushed off as he sped towards the flying ball of electrically charged steel, his leg burning with a blazing inferno as he pounced at the magnetic ball, swinging his leg with all his might. "Dodge, and tackle it!"

Magnemite swiftly flew to the side, narrowly avoiding the fire type attack, though Prince quickly spun in the air, igniting his other leg and swinging it downwards and colliding with Magnemite before it could attack, sending it to the ground in a plume of dust and smoke. Once the cloud had cleared, Magnemite was seen unmoving in a small crater.

"Magnemite is unable to battle, Riolu is the winner, so round one goes to Aura!" The ref called.

Clemont returned Magnemite and shook his head, "That was a close battle, but you still won that round," Clemont clipped Magnemite's ball to his backpack's strap and plucked off another, "but you won't win this time. Heliolisk, go!" Clemont threw out his second pokemon, being a yellow lizard pokemon with large black frills.

"Yeah, it was close, a little too close if you ask me though." Aura pointed Prince's pokeball at him and recalled the Riolu, he looked at his ball with a smirk, _"Thanks, buddy. You may have won the round, but I think that's enough fighting for you today."_ He clipped the ball back to his belt and looked down at the Braixen by his side, "You ready, Diamond?"

She nodded back, "Always."

"Alright then, let's do this." Aura pointed towards the battlefield and Diamond ran into position.

"Round two will be Aura's Braixen against Clemont's Heliolisk, begin!" The ref swung the flags down to begin the battle.

Clemont didn't waste any time calling out an attack, "Heliolisk, use dragon tail!"

Heliolisk sped forward, it's tail glowing brightly with a green draconic energy, it leaped into the air and swung it's tail down towards Diamond.

"Block it!" Diamond drew her stick and held it above her, using her cut attack to strengthen it.

Heliolisk slammed it's tail against Diamond's blade. It tried forcing it's way through, but Diamond prevailed and pushed back, sending the reptile flying, though it corrected itself and landed back on it's feet.

"Good work, Heliolisk, but it looks like that Braixen has some experience... Try using quick attack!"

Heliolisk sped off towards Diamond again, this time running at blurring speeds with a white trail behind it.

"Stay focused, Diamond!" Diamond watched the field carefully, seeing a yellow blur speed past every few seconds. She held her blade in an attack stance, ready to strike her opponent as her eyes darted around the field.

The blur suddenly stopped behind her, it's tail glowing with a green draconic energy as it prepared to strike, "Diamond! Behind you!"

The fox quickly spun around, just barely able to block the attack before it made contact.

Both trainers felt they were at an impass, each knowing there was no way for either pokemon to properly land an attack on the other.

Aura could see no openings so long as Heliolisk continued it's rapid assault of attacks, leaving Diamond forced to resort to blocking. While Clemont couldn't land any hits so long as the Braixen was aware of her surroundings, prepared to block at a moment's notice.

While Aura tried thinking of a way to gain some sort of advantage, Clemont had already thought of his next command.

"Heliolisk, blind it with flash, then go in for the strike!"

Aura knew that if Diamond got hit with flash, she'd be sure to lose the battle, "Diamond, be careful!"

Even though she appreciated the warning, she already knew what flash would do, recalling their battle with Tyler when Stan used flash against his Eevee.

Heliolisk sped off, circling Diamond for a few seconds before skidding to a halt directly in front of her. She may have been good at blocking physical attacks, but she wasn't quite prepared for the blinding light.

The lizard very quickly opened the frills around it's neck, producing a bright light that Diamond wasn't quick enough to avoid.

She dropped her stick, canceling her cut attack, and started stumbling around in pain while covering her burning eyes.

"It's all over now. Heliolisk, thunderbolt!"

With no way to prepare herself for the attack, Diamond screamed in pain as electricity surged through her body.

Heliolisk ended it's attack, and Diamond dropped to her knees, soon landing face-first against the ground.

"Braixen is unable to battle, Heliolisk wins!"

Aura quickly ran to his mate, rolling her onto her back and lifting her into his arms, carefully carrying her back to his side of the field.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't strong enough."

"It's alright, you and Prince did your best, and that's all I wanted. We'll be sure to win that badge next time we're here."

Aura set Diamond down next to his backpack, taking out an oran berry and handing it to the fox.

"Challenger, please send out your other pokemon."

Aura smirked, standing and turning to the ref, "Prince may have won the first round, but I don't think he's up for another fight so soon, so I guess this is a loss for us."

Dan and the others looked at Aura, shocked that he'd give up so easily. Even Clemont was taken back by his words. So, counting that as a forfeit, the ref raised a flag and declared Clemont the winner.

Aura put on his backpack before lifting Diamond into his arms once more, looking over to his friends and calling them over, "Come on, guys, let's head to the Pokemon Center and get ready to head out."

He lead the others out of the building and onto the streets, carrying Diamond the whole way to the Pokemon Center.

* * *

With Prince and Diamond all healed up, the group made their way through the city, Aura and Dan looking at the town map to figure out their next destination, deciding Camphrier Town would be their next stop.

"So, how long should it take to get to Camphrier Town?" Aura asked.

Dan double checked the map, "Maybe about four to five days, give or take."

"Then we should make sure we have all the necessary supplies, we don't want to run out before we get to town."

"Well, since we've been in the city, we haven't really been using much except for food, so that's pretty much all we need to buy."

The mention of food made Diamond remember something. She stepped up to Aura's side and tugged on his shirt, making the trainer look down to her, "Yeah, Diamond?"

She fidgeted a bit with her fingers, while looking up with a hopeful smile, "Aura? Remember when you promised to teach me how to cook?"

Aura mentally smacked himself, thinking Diamond was upset with him for not doing it, "Aw man, sorry, Diamond, I completely forgot about that. I'll make sure to make it up to you."

She looked up at him with a nervous smile, a bit of sweat dropping from her forehead, "It's okay, I actually forgot about it until now, too."

"Well, we can start your lessons as soon as we get to Camphrier Town, I promise."

"Actually, I was wondering if you could teach me on the way." The hopeful look she gave him was too cute for him to resist.

"Ah, I guess so... Since we'll be traveling a lot, maybe getting used to cooking on an open fire would be a good skill." She smile and embraced her trainer, wrapping her arms around his waist as she thanked him. "It's no problem, I did promise to teach you after all."

They carried on their way, quickly buying enough food for the trip, and leaving the city through one of it's gates, finally back on the road, and on the path towards their next adventure.

* * *

 **If you like the story so far, you can show your support by** ** **favouriting** and ******following**. Got something you wanna say? Leave a review; I make sure to read all of them, and respond to any questions I receive in a "reviews" section on the next chapter. I enjoy interacting with my readers, and feedback is always helpful.  
**

 **Don't forget to check out my profile for more stories.  
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 **That's all for now, thanks for reading.**


	14. Chapter 14

**There's a few things I want to mention before this chapter, first things first, I have a new story up called A New Way of Living, it's set in college and is a genderbend, lesbian, and slice of life story :3 Check it out on my profile.**

 **Sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed or sloppy, I have nothing planned for chapters like these, only the more important chapters are planned out at all.**

 **While I was going through the rewrite, I was going to just skip most of this chapter, but I decided to add something really interesting within it's contents. Something that wasn't actually going to happen for quite a while, but it sorta just happened.**

* * *

 **=Reviews=**

 **ShadowForge:** Glad to know you enjoyed the new additions, a few things I want to say, first off, the new character will be explained in due time, second, Aura taking pills doesn't play any big part in the story, at most it will just open a few more opportunities for scenes (I originally had Aura take pills for mental issues, but quickly discarded that idea), third, more details will be given about the guardians and their history, it will just be overtime and probably a lot later, and finally, I'm glad that you like Missy's character, I know there isn't much of her and I hope to add more at a certain point. Thank you for the review and I hope I answered everything.

 **Agent X13:** Thanks for the support, and you're welcome for the response, I try to answer any reviews/PMs I get and I do it because I enjoy interacting with my audience and feel it is a good way to thank you all for the support.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 14: A new ability**_

 _ **-POV Diamond, 1st Person-**_

"Hah hah mmmnah hah nnnah! Yes, Aura! Yes!" I was in pure bliss as Aura thrusted his member deep into my love hole, "Harder! Fuck me harder!" Aura complied, he sped up his movements and pounded my pussy harder, "Yes! Fuck me like the bitch I am!"

Aura's thrusts started becoming erratic and I could feel his member swelling inside me, "I can feel it coming, Diamond!" He panted out.

I wrapped my legs around my mate's waist, holding him inside of me, "Cum inside me, make me a mother!"

"Diamond, Diamond," Aura kept repeating my name with each thrust, "Diamond, Diamond-"

* * *

"Diamond, Diamond wake up." My eyes shot open and I sprung up.

"Huh?! What?!" I looked at my surroundings and noticed I was lying in my sleeping bag within our tent.

"Are you alright, Diamond? You were mumbling in your sleep, and you're covered in sweat." I blushed once I realized it was all a dream.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, Aura, just a weird dream." I placed my paw on my forehead and softly rubbed it, feeling just how damp my fur really was.

"Alright then," Aura stood up and opened the tent flap, "anyways, it's time to make breakfast, so come on out and we can get started."

I was about to crawl out of my bag, but I felt something moist between my legs. "Uh, go ahead without me Aura, I'll uh, I'll be out in a minute." Aura shrugged and left the tent, I unzipped my bag and saw the fur around my womanhood wet and matted with my juices, "Ugh, why does this keep happening?" I reached over to my pack and pulled out a towel to dry myself and the small wet spot in my bag. "I should probably wash up at the nearby river."

After cleaning up, I folded my towel and left the tent, "Morning, Diamond," Stan said, cheerful as ever.

"Good morning, Diamond, did you sleep well?" Prince asked.

"Morning, you two, and yeah, I slept fine." I yawned and walked over to the camp fire where Aura and the pokemon all sat, Dan seemed to have gone off to do something.

"Hello, Diamond." Nessa said, though she seemed to noticed how damp my fur was, "Are you alright? You're covered in sweat, you might want to wash off so you don't catch a cold."

I smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, I was just gonna go do that, I feel cold and grimy covered in this sweat." I looked over at my mate as he was setting up a pot above the fire, "Aura, do you mind getting breakfast ready without me today? I'm gonna go wash up."

"Yeah that's fine, Diamond, to be honest, you could really use a bath."

I swatted him in the back of the head and he just grinned at me. "Ha ha, I'll be back in a bit." I kissed his cheek and walked through the bushes in search of the nearby body of water.

After pushing through a few more bushes, I started hearing the light flow of a stream, I followed the sound and came across the gently flowing water, "Finally." I set my towel down and dipped my paw into the water, the water was chilly but I toughed it out and slowly tredded into the shallow water.

I hummed a tune as I washed the sweat from my fur, though I immediately stopped when I heard leaves rustling, "I-Is someone there?" Nothing. "Aura? Is-Is that you?" No response.

I slowly crept towards the bushes, as I got closer I began hearing a low growling, "Wh-who are you?" I asked.

The leaves rustled and something slowly came into view, by the looks of it, the figure was a pokemon, it had large red spikes on it's head and it's body was covered in blue scales, I was completely petrified in fear. "What are you doing in my territory?" It asked in a very deep voice.

"S-sorry, I-I-I had no idea this was your territory, I only came to wash off." The large pokemon trudged towards me.

"That is no excuse to come into my territory," he paused for a minute and smirked at me, "hmm, you're quite the vixen, maybe I could use you as my new fuck toy." The pokemon laughed, I saw that his large jaw was filled with razor sharp teeth.

"P-please, I just wanted to wash up and get back to my mate." He stopped chortling and stared at me directly in the eye.

He began walking towards me and I slowly backed up as the beast drew closer. Tears ran down my cheeks as I feared what he would do to me, so, acting on instinct, I inhaled deeply and exhaled a large jet of fire directly at the pokemon's face, blinding him momentarily to allow me to escape. "Gah! You'll pay for that you bitch! I'll fucking kill you!"

I panicked and began sprinting into the forest, tears flowing down my face as I desperately tried to find my way back to camp and get away from that monster.

After a few minutes of running I began hearing the voices of my friends, I followed the voices and arrived at the camp site.

 _ **-POV Aura, 1st Person-**_

Diamond burst through the bushes at a full sprint, she seemed to be in a panic as she rushed for me, long streaks of darkened fur were under her eyes as she ran, "Aura!" She tackled me to the ground and held me tightly, tears were dripping down her face and she was crying.

"Diamond, what's wrong?! What happened?!" I sat up and held the Braixen in a comforting embrace.

"A-a strange pokemon came after me, I was so scared."

Diamond sobbed and held me tighter, I tightened my grip as well, "Shh, it's alright, Diamond, I've got you now. Can you tell me what the pokemon looked like?"

She sniffled, "O-okay, he-he had spikes on his head a-and his body was covered in blue scales, and his mouth was big and filled with sharp teeth."

I pulled my pokedex from my pocket and started searching, "If what you say is correct, I think I know what pokemon it was," I input the details and a pokemon appeared on the screen, "was this the pokemon?" I showed Diamond the image of a Feraligatr and she squeaked upon seeing it.

"Yes, that's him... What is it?" She asked me, rubbing some tears from her eye.

"This is a Feraligatr, it says here that Feraligatr is a very strong and aggressive pokemon. Their jaws are extremely powerful, and despite their bulky size, they can reach high speeds to capture their enemies and prey."

"If there's a Feraligatr around here, we should hurry up and get moving," Dan suggested, having returned shortly after Diamond left.

"Yeah, let's hurry and get packed up so we can leave this area, hopefully before it finds us," I said.

Dan and I packed up quickly and returned our pokemon; me, him, and Diamond running away from there, and back on the path to Camphrier, but we didn't know that we were being watched.

 _ **-POV Aura, 3rd Person-**_

Multiple hours passed and the trio were still in the forest, "Shit, I think we're lost," Dan said. Aura stopped in his tracks, "What is it Au-"

"Shh," Aura shushed him, "do you hear that?" Everyone was quiet for a minute, then they heard leaves rustling.

"Yeah, what was that?" Diamond asked.

"I don't know," Aura grabbed Stan's ball from his belt, "but we'd better stay sharp, we don't know if that Feraligatr might be lurking nearby." Diamond shuddered at the thought of that brute returning.

The nearby bushes began shaking, "Stan, come out and use spark!" Aura tossed the pokeball and the blue feline appeared. Stan's body began crackling with electricity, he enveloped himself in that energy and charged towards the bushes. The leaves parted and a man in a ranger outfit emerged from the foliage, surprising Aura as he quickly called to his pokemon, "Wait, Stan, stop!"

Stan was unable to stop in time, he tackled the man to the ground as electricity momentarily surged through his body, "Ga-a-ah!" Stan stopped the electricity and the man was left with a few burn marks from the voltage.

Aura ran to the man and extended his hand, "Sorry about that, we thought you were a Feraligatr."

The ranger sat up and rubbed his head, speaking in a southern accent, "It's alright, ah can understand your worry," he took Aura's hand and stood up, "that Feraligatr has been causing some trouble 'round 'ere and I've come to put an end to it," the man extended his hand, "I'm Chris by the way."

Aura grasped his hand and gave a quick shake, "Nice to meet you, I'm Aura, this is Dan, the Shinx is Stan, and the Braixen is Diamond."

"Nice to meet y'all, but it's gettin' late and ah don't think we should be stayin' out here for too long, come with me back to my cabin for the night, and maybe ya'll could tell me a little about your encounter with that Feraligatr."

Diamond shuddered from the thought of what could have happened, "Uh, sorry, but maybe we could talk about it some other time? I don't think Diamond is ready to talk about her experience."

Chris rubbed the back of his head, "Uh, sure, maybe we can talk about it tomorrow, after ya'll have gotten a good nights sleep."

"Thank you, we'll gladly accept your offer," Aura said. Chris smiled and motioned for them to follow, after a few more minutes of walking they reached a small cabin.

"Welcome to mah ranger station, it serves as a refuge for lost and injured trainers, as well as mah home." Once they entered, Chris turned to the group, "Alright, I've only got one extra bed, so one of ya'll will have to sleep on the couch."

Dan immediately chimed in, "I'll take the couch, Aura and Diamond can have the bed."

I looked back at Dan and smiled, "Thanks, Dan, I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it, I'll take the couch since there's only one of me, and two of you."

"Well, now that that's settled, who's hungry?" Chris asked.

"Oh, you don't need to cook for us," Aura responded.

"Nonsense, as a pokemon ranger I protect everything in this forest, and right now, that includes ya'll as well."

"Well, thanks I guess," Aura said. Chris went to the kitchen to begin preparing the food, and after a little while, they had all begun eating.

* * *

"So, where ya'll headed?" Chris asked, taking a bite of his food.

"We're on our way to Camphrier Town," Aura responded.

"Yeah, but we wound up getting lost in this forest for a whole week," Diamond explained.

"Well, I'm glad I found ya'll then, I'd imagine ya'll would have been running low on food."

Dan swallowed his food and spoke up, "Yeah, not to sound rude, but Aura's been teaching Diamond how to cook while we were out there, and as you can imagine, not all of the food 'survived' their lessons." Dan gave a small chuckle, but Diamond sunk down in defeat.

Aura pat her shoulder and smiled, assuring her no harm was done, and reminding her that the last few times she had helped cook, the food wasn't _too_ bad. She gave a small smile of gratitude, at least knowing that her cooking had been improving, even if at a slow rate.

"Well, I'm sure she's doin' 'er best, and cooking sure ain't always the easiest thing to learn." Chris smiled at the Braixen, showing his support before they continued eating. With their plates clear, Chris started collecting the empty dishes and walking them over to the kitchen, "Now, ya'll should get a bit of shut-eye before we head out tomorrow. The spare room's at the end of the hall on the left, bathroom's just next to it."

Aura and Diamond thanked the ranger, before heading down the hall to the room they'll be staying in for the night.

After going to the bathroom Aura entered his room and saw Diamond sitting on the edge of the bed, her arms lazily resting at her side as she stared at the floor, "Hey, you gonna be alright, Diamond?"

Diamond looked up at him, "Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine." She looked back to the floor and sighed.

"You're obviously not fine Diamond, I can tell that much." Aura sat down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Tell me what's bothering you."

She sighed and looked up at him, "When that Feraligatr found me, I panicked and burned him so I could run away, but he said he was going to kill me for it," she sniffled, "I'm scared that he'll come after me while we're traveling."

Aura brought his hand under her chin and lifted her head, staring deep into her eyes, "Diamond, if we ever see that Feraligatr, I will personally end it to protect you and the others, we're family, and I'm not losing any of you to a beast like that."

Diamond smiled and rubbed a tear from her eye, "Thank you, Aura, you really are the best trainer ever." She wrapped her arms around him in a loving embrace and he returned the gesture.

"Anytime, my love, now let's get some sleep." Diamond nodded, they got under the blankets and shuffled close to each other, Diamond laying with her back against Aura's chest, and his arm draped over her waist. As the night continued, they had slowly drifted off to sleep.

 _ **-POV Aura, 1st person-**_

"Aura, wake up." I heard my girlfriend's beautiful voice speak, and I opened my eyes to see her looking down at me. I smiled and she smiled back, "Morning, sleepyhead."

"Hm, morning." I sat up and stretched, "Anyone else up yet?"

Diamond shrugged, "I think, I did hear someone walking around in the kitchen."

"Well, we might as well get up." I sat up and grabbed my bag from my bedside, I sifted through it and pulled out a pair of jeans, I stood up and removed my shorts and put on my pants, meanwhile Diamond was blushing behind me, "Heh, still not used to seeing me half naked are ya?" I asked.

She jolted and looked away quickly, I snickered as I put on my shirt, after that, the two of us left the room to see who was up. The two of us entered the kitchen and saw Chris cooking something, "Huh? Oh, mornin', you two," he said.

"Morning, is Dan up yet?" I asked.

"Not that I know of, why don't you wake him up? Breakfast should be ready soon." I went to the living room and stepped towards my sleeping friend.

"Dan, time to get up," I said.

I shook him and he began to stir, "Nngh, what time is it?"

"It's about eight in the morning, we gotta get ready to head out." Dan sat up and stretched, he stood up and grabbed his clothes before walking to the bathroom to change.

Breakfast went by fast and we all left the cabin shortly after, "Alright, follow me and I'll get ya'll back on the right track," Chris told us, we did as we were told and followed the ranger through the forest, though I had the distinct feeling we were being watched.

I grabbed Stan's ball so I'd be ready for battle, and just like I expected, I began hearing a low growling, "Uh, guys, I don't mean to alarm you, but I think we're being watched."

"Really?" Dan asked.

Diamond stepped behind me, "I can hear something, Aura, it might be that Feraligatr."

"I know, Diamond," I released Stan from his ball, "Stan, since you're an electric type, you should hopefully be able to deal with the Feraligatr, can I trust in you to help protect us?"

Stan confidently nodded his head, "You can count on me, Aura."

 _ **-POV 3rd Person-**_

They all kept their guard up, and sure enough, Aura's feeling was right, the Feraligatr from before emerged from the bushes, the left side of his face burned severly. "Get ready, Stan, use spark!"

The Shinx's fur began crackling and he charged at the much larger pokemon, he made contact but the Feraligatr just laughed, "Pah! Pathetic excuse for a pokemon!" He reeled back his arm and swung down on Stan, knocking him back to his trainer's feet.

Aura looked up at the Feraligatr with shock all over his face, how could an electric type have next to no effect on a water type? He grabbed Prince's ball and hurled it in the air, "Prince! Force palm!"

The Riolu emerged, his paw glowing a bright orange as he charged forward, the Feraligatr prepared his counterattack, he inhaled deeply and shot out a large jet of water from his large maw. "Fuck! Prince, quick attack!" Aura's command was too late, before Prince could execute his attack, the large jet of water hit him and sent him flying against a tree behind the group, "Return, guys!" Aura returned the two to their pokeballs and looked at the Feraligatr as he slowly walked towards them.

Diamond's legs began trembling, scared of what the large beast would do to her. A sudden shouting snapped Diamond out of her thoughts.

"Hey! What do ya'll think you're doin'?! Get away from that Feraligatr!"

Diamond watched Aura step towards the beast, his body glowing with a thin veil of blue aura. "You don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine."

She watched as the Aura's energy flared to life, momentarily surprising the Feraligatr, but it shook it away and stood ready for a battle.

"Aura?" Diamond whispered, slowly reaching her hand towards her mate.

The pokemon let out a ferocious roar, creating a strong wind that did nothing but blow around Aura's hair.

He looked dead on at the large beast's eyes, feeling no fear, only a powerful determination to protect his friends, and his mate. "You can threaten me all you want, but it won't do a thing." Aura held his hand up at chest height, producing a line of blue energy as he slowly began gliding his outstretched arm to the side, once he had moved his hand about four feet to the right, he quickly closed his hand and swung it down, the trail of light following, and very quickly taking the form of a one-handed longsword made from pure energy.

Evryone watched in amazement as Aura held the sword in his right hand, swinging it around as if he had years of experience with it.

Finally, he pointed the tip of the blade towards the Feraligatr, who somehow kept his fighting composure and just growled at the human, "You think your fancy lights will do you any good?! I'll kill you all!"

Aura's gaze was merciless, staring the large reptile in the eyes as he spoke his next words, "Threaten me all you want, but I will NEVER let you hurt my friends!"

The two charged at each other, Aura with his energy blade raised high, and Feraligatr with his claws glowing brightly.

Their attacks collided and sent out a strong shockwave of power, each pulling back and continuing their assaults on the other.

As Aura swung his sword, Feraligatr swung his claws, blocking the guardian's blade and forcing him to jump back, landing a couple feet back and raising his sword like a skilled warrior, "This is your last warning, leave us be and I won't hurt you!" Aura called.

The Feraligatr smirked, "You're threats mean nothing!" He charged at Aura once more, preparing to strike the human.

"So be it!" Aura ran forward, raising his sword and slashing with all his might.

It clanged against Feraligatr's claws, sending out a vibration of energy with the sound. The two continued to engage, each strike from either side meeting the same results over and over again.

Aura could feel his energy draining, his arms struggled to keep up their continuous assault with the blade, though the Feraligatr didn't seem to be all that bothered, obviously having more combat experience than the human. He had to end this soon, though he didn't really want to kill the Feraligatr, but he was starting to run out of options.

He disengaged their connection and jumped back, panting from the exhaustion, yet still holding his ground.

Recognizing Aura's exhaustion and taking his chance, Feraligatr charged forward, and all Aura could do was bring up his sword and block the attack.

Diamond watched her trainer swiftly move his sword, blocking each of Feraligatr's attacks as he tried to stay alive. Her fists tightened as her mind rushed with a sudden courage, and a determination to protect her love.

Without warning, Diamond drew her stick and ran into battle, Dan reached out to stop her, but he was too late as her stick took the form of a sharp blade.

She ran to Aura's side and swung her stick, slashing the Feraligatr's leg and making him stumble back with a shout of pain.

Aura took this chance to step back, looking at his mate with worry, yet also a small amount of gratitude for the assistance, "Diamond?! What are you doing?!"

She jumped back to his side, holding her blade before her like a samurai, "What does it look like? I'm helping you!"

The Feraligatr recovered from the attack and quickly charged at them once more, smashing the ground as the two jumped to either side, "I can see that, but why?!" Aura lifted his sword to block a swipe from the beast, deflecting it and jumping back again.

Diamond ran in and swung her blade, hitting the reptile in the side and retreating back to her trainer, "I'm not going to just sit back and watch you get killed trying to protect me," her grip tightened around her stick, "I won't ever let that happen again."

Diamond rushed in, striking the large pokemon with multiple slashes from her blade. As Feraligatr started to show more weakness and exhaustion, Aura had an idea, he turned to Chris and called out, "Chris! Do you have any pokeballs?!"

Chris perked up and began digging through his satchel, "Yeah, I got some."

Aura turned his attention back to the pokemon, "Good, when I give the signal, throw one at the Feraligatr!"

Chris was about to call back, but Aura rushed towards the battle, assisting Diamond in weakening the large pokemon with strikes from his sword, though somehow, his blade wasn't actually doing physical damage, rather it seemed like his blade fazed right through the beast, yet it still shouted in pain from each hit.

After a short assault of the two blades, Feraligatr dropped to it's knee, still trying to fight off it's attackers, whom just danced around his strikes like they were nothing, "Alright, Chris! Now!"

The ranger reeled back his arm, Aura giving Diamond a quick signal to step back as Chris lobbed the ball towards them.

They sidestepped the sphere, allowing it to make contact with the large beast's forehead, and absorb it into the ball.

Aura and Diamond stood with their blades ready, just in case the pokemon managed to break free. They all watched in silence as the ball wiggled, though after shaking three times, the ball clicked, signifying a successful capture.

Finally able to relax, Aura's blade evaporated into thin air while Diamond's stick returned to normal, sheathing it in her tail.

Chris stood awestruck, this strange human and his pokemon had singlehandedly taken down the monstrous Feraligatr that had been causing so much trouble, even allowing him to capture it.

Aura picked up the ball and tiredly walked back to the others, holding the ball out to Chris with a grin, "Here, let's hope this will keep it from causing any more trouble around here."

Chris took the ball, staring at it with a blank expression, "How... How did you do that?"

Aura chuckled, "I'm an aura guardian, and I guess summoning a sword from my aura is one of my abilities."

Diamond and Dan stepped up around Aura, congratulating him on the new ability. All while Chris just stood in place, he knew what aura guardians were, but he had never seen something like that up close.

Smiling to himself, he put his new pokemon into his satchel and looked to Aura with great appreciation and wonder, but even though he was amazed by this stranger's abilities, he still had a job to do.

"Well, I wreckon we better get going, we still have to get ya'll on the right track to Camphrier Town."

They looked to the ranger and nodded, Aura and Diamond picked up their bags and the three continued to follow the ranger through the forest.

* * *

"Alright guys, this path should lead ya'll straight to Camphrier town, it was nice meetin' you, and thanks again for all your help. I'll make sure to take good care of that Feraligatr."

"Thanks, Chris, and who knows, maybe we'll meet again some time," Aura said.

"Maybe, anywho, ya'll better be on your way if you're gonna make it at least halfway before it gets dark again."

Aura nodded and they parted ways, finally on their way to Camphrier Town, and one step closer to their second badge.

* * *

 **NEW STORY!**

 **Now that I've hopefully gotten some of yours' attention if you skipped through the beginning AN, I want to say that I have begun a new story called "A New Way of Living", it's a slice of life, genderbend, lesbian story, and I really hope you all go check it out.**

 **Sorry about the terribly rushed ending to this chapter, I just wanted to hurry up and get it out. But I hope you all liked it nonetheless. Also don't forget to check out my new story, I love writing it because it's a whole new territory for me due to me being a single male, and the focus of that story is a girl, again, thank you all for reading and I hope you all the best.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed Aura's new ability. During the re-write I decided to add that in since the original ending made no sense at all. Diamond spontaneously got over her fear of the Feraligatr and jumped into battle, but now, I have her sitting back while Aura takes charge with a newfound skill, and personally, I love how it's working out. This will probably change a few things later on, but I don't know for sure right now, we'll just have to wait and see.  
**

 **If you like the story so far, you can show your support by** ** **favouriting** and ******following**. Got something you wanna say? Leave a review; I make sure to read all of them, and respond to any questions I receive in a "reviews" section on the next chapter. I enjoy interacting with my readers, and feedback is always helpful.  
**

 **Don't forget to check out my profile for more stories.  
**

 **That's all for now, thanks for reading.**


	15. Chapter 15

**I was honestly expecting this chapter to be a lot shorter than it actually is, I was gonna mention how I go by the quality over quantity, but this chapter probably isn't the best example. Anywho, the chapter was originally gonna have Diamond not wanting to talk to Aura about some personal stuff, but I decided "Fuck it! Make it nice and fluffy!" And this was the outcome.  
**

 **Anyways, here's the new chapter :3**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 15: Festival of Good Harvest Part 1**_

 _ **-POV Aura, 1st Person-**_

I felt two small paws on my arm as I was being shaken, "Wake up, Master Aura," a voice said.

I opened my eyes and saw Prince sitting by my side, "Mornin', Prince, what are you doing out of your pokeball this early?"

"Sorry for breaking out of my pokeball, but I felt some strong emotions early this morning," Prince said.

I yawned and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I sat up and smiled at the Riolu, "You know I have no rules against you guys breaking out of your pokeballs." I glanced over at Diamond's sleeping bag and saw that it was empty, "Hey, do you where Diamond is?"

"Yes, when I came out, she was already awake, and told me that she was going for a walk, also asking me to not wake you for a while."

 _"Huh, I wonder why,"_ I thought. "Thanks, Prince, I'm gonna go look for her."

"Anytime, Master Aura." Prince bowed his head and left the tent. I changed into some jeans and a shirt and left the tent as well.

Sitting by the fire, was Dan and the other pokemon, "Morning, Dan, do you know where Diamond went?"

He shrugged, "Eh, all I know is that she left your guys' tent and went that way." He pointed to his right.

I sighed, "Thanks, Dan, I'm gonna go look for her."

"No problem, breakfast should be ready by the time you get back." I nodded my thanks and headed out into the forest to find my girlfriend.

 _"I wonder why she didn't tell me where she was going? Oh well, knowing her, she'll probably try to stay close enough."_ I searched high and low, ten minutes had gone by before I spotted the yellow furred vixen perched on a rock near a lake, _"Finally."_

 _ **-POV 3rd Person-**_

Diamond heard leaves rustling behind her, _"Shit!"_ She quickly got up and drew her stick, "Who's there?" She questioned. The leaves parted and she lowered her stick upon seeing her mate looking up at her, "Oh, good morning, Aura," she said, with hardly any enthusiasm in her tone. She sheathed her stick within her tail, and sat back down to continue watching the sun rise over the clean lake water.

Aura climbed onto the rock and sat next the the fox, "Are you alright, Diamond? You seem depressed."

She lightly sighed, "Yeah, I'm alright, just thinking about stuff."

"What stuff?" He asked her, adjusting himself to a more comfortable position.

She rested her head in her paws and placed her elbows on her knees, "Don't worry about it, it's nothing important."

"Diamond, I know that something's troubling you, I'm here for you, okay? You can tell me."

Diamond sighed again, "You obviously didn't know this, Aura, but I'll be turning sixteen in a few days."

Aura raised an eyebrow, "Then why are you so down? Isn't that a good thing?"

"Well, yes, but at the same time it... It marks the day I lost my parents," she explained, sadness laden in her voice.

Aura felt terrible, his face was somber and he fidgeted with his fingers, "I-I'm sorry, Diamond, I had no idea."

Again the vixen sighed, she stared off into the distance with a sad look on her face, "It's not your fault, Aura, like you said, you didn't know."

Aura wrapped an arm around Diamond and pulled her closer, "Well, you're not alone anymore, Diamond, I'm here for you, and I always will be."

Diamond rested her head on Aura's shoulder, "Yeah, I guess looking at it that way does make me feel a bit better."

Aura held her close, comforting her the best he could, "I'm glad, remember, I'm here for you whenever you need me, I care for you, and I will 'til the end of time."

The vixen looked up at Aura and smiled, she looked back at the lake and gave a content sigh, "Yeah, having you around really helps cope with all this... I know I keep saying this, but really, thank you for picking me back at the lab, you really did make my life worth living again."

Aura kissed Diamond on the head, "Anytime, Diamond, anytime." The two sat there for a few more minutes watching the sunrise, "You wanna head back? Breakfast should be ready by now."

Diamond responded with a faint "Yeah." She lifted her head from his shoulder and stood up, Aura doing the same. He hopped off the rock first, holding his arms up and catching Diamond as she hopped down, too, following her trainer back to the campsite.

When the couple returned, Dan looked up from his plate and smirked, "So, you found her, what was going on?"

Aura shook his head, "Nothing, Diamond just needed to think."

"Really? Is something the matter?"

Aura was about to speak, but Diamond placed a paw on his arm, "Well, yes and no, I'm going to be turning sixteen in a few days, and although that may seem like a good thing, it's also the same day that my parents were taken from me."

Nessa walked up to Diamond, and embraced her friend in a caring hug, "Oh, Diamond, I'm so sorry that happened to you."

Diamond looked up at Aura, a small smile appeared on her face, "It's okay, Nessa, but thanks to Aura, I've actually been a lot happier, and it doesn't bother me as much as it used to."

Aura smirked, happy that he's been able to help in some way, although, something else was on his mind, _"Since we should reach Camphrier Town by tomorrow morning, I should hopefully be able to set something up for Diamond's birthday... Hopefully."_

* * *

The sun was setting as the group made their way down the path, a tired vixen lay on her trainer's back, cutely snoozing away as they walked.

"I think we should set up camp for the night," Aura suggested.

"What for? The sun is just barely starting to set."

Aura gestured to the yellow fox that was currently napping on his back, "I think Diamond's ready to turn in for the night."

Dan shrugged, "I guess so, I'll get supper started then." Dan took off his bag and dug through it, meanwhile, Aura was looking around for a place to set down Diamond while he set up their tent.

He spotted a patch of nice, plush grass that should be good enough until he could get their sleeping bags ready. Aura squatted and carefully set Diamond down, he removed her necklace and her backpack, and laid her down on the grass, she stirred a bit but continued sleeping.

Aura put the jewelry back into it's case, and used Diamond's backpack as a temporary pillow for her. He walked over to an area that he figured would be flat enough and got to work, he spent about fifteen to twenty minutes assembling their tent, and when it was all done he went to retrieve his girlfriend and bring her inside.

"Mmmh," Diamond groaned, as Aura lifted her from her spot on the grass, he carried her bridal style into the tent and tucked her into her bag.

Aura smiled at how peaceful Diamond looked as she slept. He kissed her forehead and wished her a good night, before he turned and left the tent. "Man, she's out like a light," Aura told Dan, as he was currently preparing supper.

"Well, from what Prince was saying, she was up pretty early," Dan pointed out.

"Yeah, I hope everything's okay." Aura stood up and took Stan and Prince's pokeballs from his belt, he pressed the release buttons and the two pokemon appeared in a flash of light, "Hey guys, you hungry?"

Stan nodded cheerfully but Prince was looking around curiously, "Pardon me, Master Aura, but where is Diamond?"

"She's sleeping already, must have been pretty tired from waking up so early."

Prince nodded and sat next to Stan by the fire. "Welp, might as well let my pokemon out too." Dan picked off his three pokeballs and released their inhabitants.

They all greeted Dan and sat down near him, Missy lying with her head on his lap like a pillow. Aura sighed, "How's Missy doing?" He asked.

Dan glanced at the pink pokemon and frowned, "I don't know, she seems to be doing as well as she has been for the past month, but I can't really tell to be honest." Dan pulled a pill bottle from his bag and popped the lid, "Here, Missy." He held the pill out to the Sylveon, and she slowly took it, Dan looked at her with a sad smile.

Aura watched as Dan stroked Missy's head, a faint whimpering coming from the sick pokemon, and making Aura feel very sympathetic for them.

He sighed and set down his plate, catching the attention of the others, "Dan, what would you say if I could _maybe_ do something to help Missy?"

He looked at the guardian in shock, "Wait, you have a cure?!" He exclaimed in a raised voice.

"Well, I wouldn't call it a cure, but it might be enough to restore some of her energy."

"Well?! What is it?!" He asked, clearly desperate for anything at this point.

"While I was visiting Alice, she taught me about the guardians, more-so the healing guardians since she was one of them. She also taught me the basics of healing aura, how it uses the energy from nature to heal, even showing me how to heal some smaller things."

"While I was visiting Alice, she taught me a few things about healing aura, and she even showed me the basics on how to actually use it."

"Im willing to try almost anything at this point, and if you really think this will help, please do it."

"Alright, just don't get your hopes _too_ high, using aura is still really new to me, so I don't even know if this will work."

Aura held his hands out towards Missy, a faint green glow was just barely visible coming from his hands, the light slowly getting brighter and more vibrant.

Sweat dripped from Aura's forehead from the immense concentration he was going through, then after a few more seconds, Missy started glowing the same green hue as Aura's hands.

The light faded shortly after, Aura panting a bit from using his energy. They all looked at the pink canine pokemon in anticipation, "You think it worked?" Spyke asked.

The Chespin got his answer when Missy began to slowly move, she wobbled as she weakly stood up, letting out a small groan.

Dan's eyes watered as he stared at the pokemon, "Missy? How do you feel?"

"I... I feel... better." Her voice was quiet and soft, "I don't feel quite as weak as I did before."

Dan looked at Aura with the biggest smile he'd ever seen, "Thank you so much, Aura, you healed Missy."

"Hold on, I don't think it was enough to actually heal her, all I did was give her a bit more energy, so it would be best to assume she'd still need the medicine. And besides, I don't even know if what I did is going to be permanent."

"Still, you made her pain go away, even if just a bit, and I can't thank you enough."

"You don't need to thank me, Dan, anywho, let's finish eating and turn in for the night, I wanna get an early start." Everyone happily ate their supper and cleaned up. The two trainers returned their pokemon and bid each other goodnight.

Aura walked into his tent and saw Diamond peacefully sleeping, a small bit of drool coming from her open mouth, making her look even more adorable. Aura stripped off his pants and put on his shorts, then crawled into his sleeping bag for the night.

* * *

After walking for another few hours, Aura and the others finally reached their destination. "Well, guys, we're finally here," Aura stated.

Camphrier town was bustling with people, stalls were set up all around selling different kinds food and trinkets, and some people seemed to be performing in the streets for small audiences. Diamond looked around, still just a bit uncomfortable being around so many people, "What's going on?" She asked, inching closer to Aura for safety.

Aura shrugged, "Looks like some kind of festival."

"It's called The Festival of Good Harvest, you probably haven't heard of it since you're still new to Kalos." Dan explained.

Both Aura and Diamond looked at their friend, "Festival of Good Harvest?" Diamond asked.

Dan pulled his town map from his pocket and began searching through it's database, "Here, look at this." Dan handed the device to Aura, him and Diamond looked at what was on screen.

"What's it say?" Diamond asked, not being able to read it herself.

"Apparently, The Festival of Good Harvest is an annual festival here that takes place sometime during early to mid spring, and they do it as a way to pray for good harvests in the fall, every year they host multiple events for multiple days, the biggest event being a pokemon tournament that goes on for the last few days."

"A tournament?" Diamond asked excitedly.

Aura snickered at the fox's antics, "Since when have you been so excited about battling?"

Diamond shyed away a bit, "Oh, uh..."

Aura pat her on the head, "I'm just buggin' ya, but if you want to participate, then we'll definitely enter."

Diamond smiled wide, and her eyes sparkled with excitement, "Thanks, Aura, we'll be sure to win," she triumphantly said, with a pound of her fist to her chest.

"Maybe, maybe not, but I wouldn't mind just doing it as battle practice."

"I guess so, but I really wanna win this."

Aura sighed, "Diamond, there's more to life than just winning, if you always win, then you'll never think you need improvement, and then losing will crush your self-esteem even more."

Diamond huffed, "I guess you have a point... Then we'd better start training so we can win." Diamond confidently pounded her paw on her chest again.

Aura shook his head with a little grin on his face, "Anywho, we'd better head to the Pokemon Center and get our rooms." Aura handed the small yellow device back to Dan and the trio made their way through the crowd towards the Pokemon Center.

* * *

"Welcome, how can I help you today?" The nurse behind the counter asked as the three approached. Aura stepped forward and requested a suite for both him and Dan. The nurse registered them into two separate one bed single suites and they each scanned their IDs for their respected rooms. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Yes actually, where do I go to register for the tournament?" Aura asked.

"Oh, if you want to register, we can do that right now since your ID has already been scanned." Nurse joy tapped away at her computer some more, there was a beep and a card was ejected from a little slot, "Here you are, your number is 27, good luck." She handed him a card with the number 27 printed on it, and they left to go to their rooms.

 _ **-POV Diamond, 3rd Person-**_

"Alright you guys, this is gonna be a difficult tournament, so we have to train hard every day to make sure we win this."

"Pardon me, Diamond, but where is Master Aura?" Prince asked.

"Yeah, why isn't he giving us this speech?" Stan added.

"Oh, he had to talk with Dan about something." Diamond waved her hand in a 'no big deal' kind of way. Stan and Prince looked at each other a bit unsure about the current situation they were in. "Now, let's head down to the training field and get to work." Diamond left the room and the other two pokemon reluctantly followed behind.

 _ **-POV Aura, 1st Person-**_

"So, you think you guys could do that?" I asked.

Dan, Nessa, and Spyke all looked at each other, Nessa faced me with a friendly smile, "Of course we'll help, Diamond's our friend, and we'll do anything to help her."

Dan crossed his arms and nodded, "Sure, we've all been traveling together for a whole month now, I consider you guys as close friends and would be happy to help."

Everyone looked at Spyke, awaiting his response to his role, the Chespin sighed, "Alright, I'll do it."

I clapped my hands together, "Thanks you guys, it'll be so much easier with your help," I stood up and walked to the door, "now, I gotta go take Diamond and the others down to the battlefield to train, see ya guys later."

I exit Dan's suite and I walked down the hall a bit to mine, "Okay guys, you ready to head down and-" I opened the door to see my three pokemon all slumped on the sofa, heavily breathing with cuts, bruises, and burn marks covering their bodies.

I quickly made my way towards them, "Holy shit! What happened to you three?!" I panicked.

Prince groaned in pain, "Diamond... Training... Battles..."

I looked to Diamond as she too was panting heavily with marks all over her body, "What did you do, Diamond? It looks like you all got mauled by an Ursaring."

She painfully sat up and looked at me, I noticed a bit of dried blood on her face, "We were... training for... the tournament," she explained.

"Jeez, maybe we should take you guys down to the lobby and get you all patched up." I grabbed Stan and Prince's pokeballs from the counter and returned them. "Can you stand, Diamond?"

The vixen tried to stand up, but stumbled and fell, and she would have hit the ground if I hadn't caught her, "Sorry, Aura, guess I worked a bit too hard," she quietly spoke.

I sighed as I hoisted her up bridal style, she let out a quiet "eep" as I lifted her, "It's fine, just please take it easy next time, if you overwork yourself then you'll be too sore and exhausted to even compete in the tournament."

Diamond snuggled her head close to my chest, "I guess you're right, we'll take it easy today and train more tomorrow."

I smiled at my girlfriend as we walked down the hall and down the stairs to the lobby, _"I hope Diamond likes the surprise."_

* * *

 **I know most of you are probably confused about how the aging system for pokemon works in this world, I will say now that it will be explained later along with other bits of information to explain other things in the story.**

 **If you like the story so far, you can show your support by** ** **favouriting** and ******following**. Got something you wanna say? Leave a review; I make sure to read all of them, and respond to any questions I receive in a "reviews" section on the next chapter. I enjoy interacting with my readers, and feedback is always helpful.  
**

 **Don't forget to check out my profile for more stories.  
**

 **That's all for now, thanks for reading.**


	16. Chapter 16

_**Chapter 16: Festival of Good Harvest Part 2**_

 _ **-POV Aura, 1st Person-**_

Standing outside the Pokemon Center, my team stood in front of me as I explained the plan. "Okay guys, I talked with Nurse Joy and she said that a lot of trainers are here for the tournament too, so we should be able to get plenty of practice in for not only the tournament, but our next gym match as well." The three pokemon nodded at me in understanding.

I felt someone tap on my shoulder and I turned around, standing there was a boy around my age with a large spider pokemon by his side, "I heard you were talking about battles, so how about a battle with me and my Galvantula?"

I looked at my team and they all looked up at me with confident expressions, "Alright, what are the rules?" I asked.

"One on one, first one out loses."

"Sounds good to me." Me and the trainer headed to one of the available battlefields and stood on our respective sides.

"Ready, Galvantula?" The boy said. His Galvantula stepped onto the field and took up a battle stance.

I looked to my team, "Alright guys, who wants to take this battle?"

The three looked at each other, before Diamond stepped forward, "I'll do it."

"Alright then," I looked back to the trainer, "I'll be choosing Diamond."

"Alright then, you ready?" I nodded and the boy started counting down, "3, 2, 1, begin!"

"Diamond, start off with fire spin!" The yellow fox withdrew her stick and twirled it around, the tip caught fire and she thrusted it forward, launching a spiraling flame towards the large bug.

"Agility, Galvantula!" Galvantula suddenly disappeared, completely avoiding the flames, then it reappeared right in front of Diamond, "Cross poison!"

The pokemon's front appendages started to glow a dark purple, it raised them high above it's head then slashed down at Diamond.

Diamond flew back a few feet, "Shit, you alright?"

Diamond stood up with a bit of struggle, "Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit woozy."

 _"Fuck, she's poisoned, I've gotta end this battle quick."_ I thought for a few seconds about what I could do, but the other trainer took this time to strike.

"Galvantula, electroweb!" Galvantula started to shoot out wads of electrified webbing at Diamond.

"Light screen!" Diamond's body glowed a light pink, and when the light subsided, her body had a faint shine to it, almost like a bubble. The Electroweb made contact with her, and Diamond screamed as the high voltage coursed through her. Although the damage may have been dulled down a bit, she was still weak due to the poison.

"Now, Galvantula, electroball!" A small sphere of electricity started charging between the bug's appendages.

"Diamond, psybeam!" Diamond started charging up her move, and when they were both ready, each pokemon released their attacks, when they met in the middle, they created an explosion that covered the field.

The smoke cleared and both pokemon stood exhausted, a second passed and they both fell to the ground.

"Diamond!" I rushed to her side and dove to my knees, I lifted her head onto my lap, "Diamond?! Are you alright?!"

Prince and Stan ran to my side, "Come on, Aura, let's take her to Nurse Joy," Stan suggested.

"Yeah." I put my arms under her knees and her upper back, lifting her up and running into the Pokemon Center.

 _ **-POV Diamond, 1st Person-**_

My head was pounding, and I felt sore and numb all over, "Nngh," I groaned.

"Diamond? How're you feeling?" I heard Aura's voice, just barely through the ringing in my ears.

I opened my eyes and looked around, I noticed Aura looking down at me, "Did we win?" I asked.

Aura faintly smiled, "Not exactly, it was a tie."

"Oh... How long was I out?" I asked.

"Only for a little over an hour, you were badly poisoned, and with the damage from the electroweb, you were in pretty bad shape, too." I looked down sadly, "But don't worry, you should be fully healed within another hour or two."

I looked back up at my mate, "Good, I don't want to be couped up in this bed for too long, we have a tournament to train for."

"You really are into this, aren't you?" He asked me.

I looked at him confused, "Why wouldn't I be, we may have lost the gym battle in Lumiose City, but like you said, it just leaves room for improvement. And I know that we'll become strong together, maybe even win the league." I pumped my fist into the air, but quickly pulled it back down as my side started to ache. "Besides, I'm actually starting to like battles."

"Well, that's good, but just try not to push yourself, Diamond, you took quite a bit of damage and you need to rest." I nodded my head, and Aura stood up, "I'll be back in a while to come get you, try getting a bit of rest for now though, okay?"

I sighed, "Alright... Love you."

He turned back to me and smiled, "Love you, too." He was about to close the door, but stopped and faced me again, "Oh yeah, Nessa and Missy will be coming in a bit to keep you company."

I wondered if I heard him right, "Hold on, Missy?"

"Oh yeah, you were asleep for that. You remember when we went to Alice's place? She taught me how to use some healing aura, and I was able to give Missy a little boost in energy, though she's not cured, she definitely seems to be feeling much better than before."

"You really are a good person, Aura. Your kindness is one of the things about you that I love so much."

He smirked, "Thanks, Diamond. I'll be back in a little bit." Finally, Aura left the room, leaving me alone until the others would arrive to keep me company.

 _ **-POV Dan, 1st Person-**_

"Thank you soo much, Dan." Aura had his hands clasped together above his head.

I stepped back a bit awkwardly, "It's really no big deal, Aura, I know how important it is for you to make Diamond's birthday enjoyable."

Aura straightened himself out, "I know, I'm just so glad that you're willing to take over training Stan and Prince for the tournament for a while."

I gave Aura a thumbs up, "Don't worry about it, Aura, Spyke and I got this covered, you go ahead and get the supplies for Diamond's birthday."

Aura nodded, "Yeah, you're right," Aura turned and headed for the exit, "okay, I'll be back in an hour or two with everything I'll need, take good care of them."

We all waved to Aura as he left the Center, "Alright guys, let's get to work."

The four of us went out back to the training field, "Okay, Prince, why don't we start off with you."

The Riolu stepped forward with a confident expression, ("Very well, what will we be working on?")

I stumbled back a bit, "Huh, I forgot about your telepathy, usually I have Nessa help me understand it all, but I asked her to go keep Diamond company." Prince apologized, but I waved it off, "Now then, let's do a bit of battling. Spyke, you ready?"

Spyke stood in front of me while Prince went to a decent distance.

"Alright, Spyke, this'll be our first time battling Prince, but we've watched them practice plenty so we know a bit of his battle style," Spyke pounded his chest, "let's start off with pin missle!"

Spyke's quills began glowing bright green, and the small grass type launched a barrage of spikes at the canine.

Prince closed his eyes, focusing on his aura, then right before the pins made contact, Prince leaped out of the way, landing gracefully a few feet to the right and opening his eyes with a smirk.

("You will have to be much faster to hit me like that,") he taunted.

"Spyke, try hitting him with rollout!" The Chespin rolled up into a ball and sped off towards the dog, again, he effortlessly jumped out of the way, "Come back around!" I shouted.

Spyke spun around and charged at the fighting type once again, Prince leaped out of the way, though his leg was clipped by the attack. He let out a howl of pain as he landed on his back. "That's the way, Spyke! Now use vine whip!"

The nut pokemon unrolled himself and leaped into the air, shouting out as vines began extending out from Spyke's neck and shooting towards the Riolu.

Prince pushed himself off the ground just in time to see the vines hurdling towards him, "Graaah!" Prince shouted in pain as he was ensnared in the vines and lifted high into the air.

Prince clenched his teeth in pain, "That's enough Spyke." The Chespin lowered Prince to the ground and let him go.

Dan, Spyke, and Stan all walked up to the Riolu, Spyke offered his paw and Prince gladly took it, ("You fought well, Spyke. That was a good first battle.")

The grass type proudly pounded his chest.

"You okay Prince?"

"Yes, Daniel, I'm fine," Prince held his side, "though I am a bit sore."

"Come on, we'll get you patched up and come back out afterwards for Stan's training." Prince nodded and started walking towards the doors, the others following him inside.

 _ **-POV Aura, 3rd Person-**_

"Now let's see... hmm..." Aura picked a box off the shelf, "This one should do, a nice vanilla and pecha berry cake aughta be good enough." Aura set the cake mix into his basket next to the container of pecha berries, and continued on his way, "Now, what to get for her gift?" Aura walked down the aisles of the shop, looking at knickknacks, treats, and lots of other things, Aura turned the corner to the next aisle, "Maybe I'll just get her a few-oof!" Since he was too busy thinking to himself, Aura had neglected to pay attention to where he was walking, and had had bumped into someone else. "Dammit, sorry, I was shopping for my girlfriend, and..." When Aura looked up at who he had bumped into, he was honestly surprised. Aura looked at the familiar girl, her long hair was light blonde, and she was wearing all dark clothes, "Gwen?"

Gwen rubbed her head, she groaned a bit, but looked up at Aura and gave a friendly smile, "Hey, Aura, long time no see."

Aura scrambled to his feet "Shit! Sorry, Gwen." Aura held his hand out towards the trainer.

"It's fine, Aura," Gwen took his hand, and he pulled her up, "what had you so distracted?"

"Oh, I was shopping for Diamond."

Gwen deadpanned, "Wait, you said you were shopping for your 'girlfriend', you don't mean that..."

Aura nodded, "Yeah, we sorta made it official while me and her were falling from Lumiose Tower."

The blonde girl held her hands over her mouth, "Holy shit! That was you?! How did you survive?!"

Aura rubbed the back of his head, "Well, it turns out that I'm actually an aura guardian."

Gwen's jaw hit the floor, "Oh my Arceus, that's incredible! I mean, I probably wouldn't have believed it had you not fallen from the tower and survived."

Aura didn't know how to react to that, "I guess so, but anyways, what are you doing here?"

Gwen shook her head, "Oh right, I'm actually here for the tournament, and I'm guessing you're gonna enter too, right?"

He just shrugged, "Yeah, as soon as we heard about the tournament, Diamond wanted to compete."

A smirk came to Gwen's face, "Sweet, maybe we'll get to battle each other, anywho, what's the occasion for shopping for Diamond?"

Aura pulled out a little card that had an illustration of a Slurpuff with the words 'Happy Birthday' written above it, "Diamond's birthday is coming up, so I'm getting stuff ready to surprise her, though I'm still looking for a good gift."

Gwen pat Aura on the shoulder, "Don't worry, Aura, if you love each other, then I'm sure she'll love whatever you get her."

Aura smiled at his friend, "I guess so, but I still want it to be something special."

"Well, good luck with that, Aura, and see you in the tournament." Gwen waved and started walking down another aisle, though stopped when Aura called over to her.

"Hey, Gwen, why don't you and Kelly come to Diamond's birthday? I know Diamond wouldn't mind seeing her again."

Gwen thought for a moment, "Sure, I also know Kelly would love to see you guys again, so just mark us down on the guest list."

"Thanks, Gwen, I'll see you around." She waved to him, and disappeared down an aisle. Aura sighed, _"Come on, Aura, think, what would Diamond like?"_ The trainer continued to browse the shop, searching high and low for some sort of gift.

Aura thought about their journey, trying to find any sort of memory that could give him an idea. His face lit up like a light bulb when he thought of one thing Diamond wants to learn, "Of course! Cooking! I'll get Diamond a cook book," Aura had finally thought of a gift, though he figured he should get her a bit more than just a book, "hmm, I think maybe something nice would be good." He looked around for the item, luckily the shop had a book section, and after Aura picked out a decent cook book, he checked out his things, and headed back to the Pokemon Center.

* * *

When Aura arrived at the Center, he headed up to Dan's room, thankfully Dan got Nurse Joy to give Aura an extra key for his room, so Aura unlocked the door, and dropped off the supplies. After that, Aura went back downstairs to go check up on Diamond.

Aura stepped into Diamond's room with a big smile on his face, "Hey, girls, how's it going?" He asked.

The three female pokemon turned to him, Diamond had a large smile on her face, "Hey, Aura, it's going good," she said.

"Nice to hear that, anyways, you ready to get back to training?"

Diamond perked up and tossed off her blanket, "Yeah, I'm ready for some training."

Diamond hopped off the bed and walked towards Aura, "Alright," Aura opened the door, "come on girls, let's head out to the back and find Dan." Missy and Nessa followed the trainer, and they headed out to the training field.

* * *

 **I decided to end this chapter early since it was getting decently sized, it continues next chapter; by the way, the next two or three chapters will have quite a lot more battles in them, I know I'm not the best at writing them but I try to do well enough.**

 **If you like the story so far, you can show your support by** ** **favouriting** and ******following**. Got something you wanna say? Leave a review; I make sure to read all of them, and respond to any questions I receive in a "reviews" section on the next chapter. I enjoy interacting with my readers, and feedback is always helpful.  
**

 **Don't forget to check out my profile for more stories.  
**

 **That's all for now, thanks for reading.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry for the long wait, life's been hard on me lately and I haven't been feeling any inspiration, nor determination as of late, but the chapter's finished and I'm happy about that.**

 **Next up, about the tag changes; I know that I have changed the tags for this story multiple times, but I'm hoping that this will be the last time. I decided on "OC, Delphox, Arceus" since these tags will be relevant through the whole story, again, I am really hoping that I won't have to go through another tag change, but I can not guarantee.**

* * *

 **=Reviews=**

 **stuntkyle5124:** I'm assuming you mean when will the _next_ lemons scene occur since they have already had sex, and the answer to that is that I can't reveal exactly when it will occur, but I can say that it will be relatively soon.

Honestly, I've been waiting for someone to ask a question along these lines, I want to let everyone know that this story isn't lemons heavy and most likely won't be, yes there will be lemons every once in a while but this story is more focused on plot, and sometimes just some other stuff I throw in for filler, anywho, thanks for your question, I hope you got the answer you were looking for.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 17: Festival of Good Harvest Part 3**_

 _ **-POV Diamond, 3rd Person-**_

The Glass doors opened automatically as Diamond, Missy, Nessa, and Aura all stepped outside. Diamond took in the fresh air as they walked out onto the field.

"Feels good to be outside," she said, taking another deep breath.

"Hey, guys!" They heard a familiar voice call.

The group all looked over and saw Dan running towards them with Prince, Stan, and Spyke all in tow.

As Dan came to a stop in front of them, Stan and Prince walked over to Aura's side, while Missy and Nessa walked over to Dan.

"Hey, Dan, how'd training go?" Aura asked.

Dan knelt down and rested his hand on Missy's head, "It went pretty well, I'm glad I was able to help."

Aura looked down at Prince and Stan, determination filling his gaze, "So guys, you ready for some more training?" The two pokemon nodded, "Alright then, let's see if we can find a good opponent."

Not even a second later, they heard another voice calling to them from the crowd, "Look out!"

Diamond looked up, fear immediately washing over her as a large jet of water shot straight towards them.

Dan picked up Missy and quickly ran to the side with his pokemon, as did Aura, Prince, and Stan, but Diamond was frozen in fear.

Aura looked back at the vixen, "Diamond!" He called out.

Time seemed to slow as Aura ran to his girlfriend, his body glowing with a blue aura.

Diamond watched as her mate stood in front of her, his aura flaring to life as the water drew ever closer, he was determined to protect her.

Aura pushed his hands out in front of himself, making the mass of water begin to glow.

In one swift motion, Aura threw his hands towards the sky, and to everyone's surprise, the water shot straight up, and within seconds, it exploded into a shower of tiny droplets, raining down and soaking everyone within a fifteen foot radius.

Diamond's heart was beating quickly, she just stood there as Aura turned and kneeled down in front of her, he put his hands on her shoulders, "Are you alright, Diamond?!"

Diamond silently nodded, still in too much shock to speak.

Aura stood up, he turned to the now soaked crowd and shouted out, "Who the fuck is responsible?!"

Out of the crowd, a boy slightly shorter than Aura walked towards them, his hair was dark brown and his skin was a bit darker than Aura's, he wore a green hoodie and light brown shorts, his head was hung low as he fiddled with his hands. At his side stood a pokemon with light and dark blue fur, and a pair of seashells on either hip.

The boy spoke, his voice a bit shaky, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen," he gestured to the pokemon by his side, "Dewott just evolved yesterday, and I thought it'd be ready for stronger moves right away, but I guess I messed up."

Aura's fists tensed, Diamond held his wrist in her paw, he looked down at her as she slowly shook her head.

Aura took a deep breath, relaxing his muscles and opening his hands, "It's... alright... Just, please try and be more careful next time."

The boy quickly bowed his head, "Thank you, I promise it'll never happen again."

Dewott walked up to Diamond, it's head hung low as it rubbed it's arm, it spoke in a soft feminine voice, "I'm sorry for almost hurting you, I should have done a better job controling my hydro pump."

Diamond pat Dewott's shoulder, she looked up at the fox as Diamond gave her a reassuring smile, "It's okay. I mean, it was scary, but thankfully Aura was around to protect me, so no harm done," Diamond grabbed her trainer's arm and smiled up at him, "right, Aura?"

Aura looked down and smiled as well, "Yeah, it's alright," Aura looked at Dewott, he knelt down and pet her head, "don't feel at fault, okay? It'll take some time to learn how to control your new strength, all you have to do is practice."

Dewott watched the trainer in awe as he stood back up, "How... How did you understand me and your Braixen?"

Aura smirked, "I'm an aura guardian, so I can naturally understand pokemon."

Dewott and her trainer looked at Aura in absolute amazement, the trainer spoke up, "Really? I thought they were just a myth, but you're saying they actually exist?"

Aura scratched his nose, "Uhh, yes?"

The boy's face lit up, though he shook his head and donned a determined expression, "Please, you have to battle me and Dewott."

Diamond looked up at Aura as he took a step back, "Uhm, uhh..."

Aura felt a small paw on his leg, he looked down and saw Prince looking up at him, ("Pardon me, Master Aura, but I wouldn't mind a battle, it would be a good way of practicing for the tournament.")

The trainer looked at Prince, "Whoa, telepathy! That's awesome."

Dewott huffed and crossed her arms, "I wish I had telepathy."

Aura looked from Prince to the trainer, he sighed, "Fine, I guess one battle would be okay."

The boy beamed with excitement, "Yes!" he held out his hand to Aura, "I'm Matt by the way."

Aura grabbed Matt's hand and gave a firm shake, "I'm Aura."

The two trainers let go of the other's hand, "Now, let's get this battle started."

 _ **-POV 3rd Person-**_

Aura stood on one side of the field, as Matt stood on the other.

Prince standing by Aura's side, while Dewott stood by Matt's.

Dan standing on the sidelines as the ref with Aura's other pokemon.

"You ready?" Matt called over.

Aura looked down at Prince then back at Matt, he nodded his head, "Ready!"

A crowd had started to gather around the field to watch the battle. Dan stepped forward and began counting down, "Three, two, one, go!"

Prince and Dewott quickly ran onto the field. Thinking quickly, Aura called the first attack.

"Prince, quick attack!" The Riolu sped off towards Dewott, a white streak following behind his speeding form.

Prince tackled Dewott to the ground, pinning her in place, "Get it off you!" Matt shouted. Dewott struggled under the Riolu, Prince smirked as he awaited Aura's next command.

"Bite!" The canine chomped down on the Dewott's shoulder, making her shout in pain as a bit of blood dribbled from the wound, "Now, send'er flying!" Prince removed his mouth from her shoulder, he grabbed her arm and began spinning around, letting go and throwing the water type into the air, "Blaze kick!"

Prince leaped after Dewott, his right leg a blazing inferno.

"Use aqua jet to dodge!" Dewott enveloped herself in a torrent of water then shot to the side, "Now hit it with razor shell!"

Dewott grabbed the scalchops from each hip and slashed them forward, hitting Prince directly in the back.

Aura growled quietly as Prince hit the ground, "You okay, Prince?!" He called.

Prince slowly pushed himself off the ground, wiping a bit of blood from his muzzle, ("Yes, Master Aura. I'm fine.")

"Good, try going in with force palm!"

Prince stood up, wobbling ever so slightly, then he dashed towards the otter as she landed on the ground, her back facing the blue canine.

"Look out, Dewott!" Matt called.

Dewott spun around, watching as Prince sped towards her, frozen in fear, she stood there and watched as the blue canine came closer and closer.

She quickly closed her eyes, bracing herself for the pain she would soon feel.

"Enough!"

Dewott slowly opened her eyes, startled when she saw Prince's paw held only a few inches from her body.

Everyone looked towards Aura as he started walking towards the two pokemon, "I think that's enough battling for now, wouldn't you agree, Matt?"

Matt stepped forward as well, walking over and kneeling down by Dewott's side, "Yeah," he looked at Dewott, "you okay buddy?"

Dewott gave a quiet "eep" and fell back into her trainer's arms, fainted from the shock.

Prince straightened himself as Aura stepped up to his side. He gave a quiet chuckle, "Guess I win?"

Matt lifted Dewott and smiled, "Yeah... Thanks for calling off Prince's force palm, I don't think Dewott could have handled that much power."

Dan and Aura's other pokemon jogged up to the two trainers, "That was great you two, Dewott and Prince both put up one hell of a fight."

Diamond stepped up to Aura's side and grabbed his hand, smiling up at him.

"Well, I'd better take Dewott to Nurse Joy, it could use a bit of rest after that battle, see you in the tournament tomorrow." Matt walked off towards the back entrance, leaving Aura and the group to themselves.

Aura looked at his companions, "What'dya guys say we head up to our rooms and get some supper going, I could use some food."

The group started walking towards the doors, eager to get something to eat after that riviting battle.

As they entered the PokeCenter, a woman began walking towards them, she had long, dark brown hair and light blue eyes, by her side trotted a Growlithe.

Spotting the woman walking towards him, Aura was a bit surprised about who they were.

Getting over his initial shock, he smiled wide and raised his hand, waving as he called out, "Hey, mom!"

* * *

 **Hoo, that one took too long to write, but I'm just glad that I'm done.**

 **If you like the story so far, you can show your support by** ** **favouriting** and ******following**. Got something you wanna say? Leave a review; I make sure to read all of them, and respond to any questions I receive in a "reviews" section on the next chapter. I enjoy interacting with my readers, and feedback is always helpful.  
**

 **Don't forget to check out my profile for more stories.  
**

 **That's all for now, thanks for reading.**


	18. Chapter 18

_**Chapter 18: Festival of Good Harvest Part 4**_

Darlene walked up to her son, she had a cheerful smile as she went in for a hug.

"Hey, sweetie, how've you been?" She asked.

"I've been doing really well, and I have so much to tell you." Diamond and Dan walked up behind Aura as he pulled away from his mother's embrace, "For starters, you finally get to meet my friends in person."

Aura took two pokeballs from his belt and popped them open, Darlene took notice of the Shinx that she hadn't seen prior, "I see you caught a new pokemon."

"Yeah, Stan was abused by his former trainer, and I took him in," Stan gave a small meow in happy greeting, "and you know Prince," the Riolu gave a bow and a polite greeting, Kibbs looked away with a faint blush, though no one seemed to notice, "and finally, Diamond."

Diamond stepped toward Darlene, "It's nice to finally meet you in person." Diamond gave a polite bow.

Darlene smiled at her son, "You've got a real nice family here, Aura; and congratulations on evolving, Diamond, you look quite beautiful as a Braixen."

Diamond blushed and stepped back to Aura's side. Aura cleared his throat, he stepped back and pat Dan on the shoulder, "By the way, this is Daniel, we actually met the day I left, and we've been traveling together since then."

Dan smiled, "It's nice to meet you."

Darlene nodded, "You too, I hope Aura hasn't been too much trouble."

"Oh, no, I've actually enjoyed traveling with Aura so far, it's definitely better than traveling alone."

Aura smirked, "That's for sure." He turned to his mother, "Hey, mom, we were just heading to my room for supper, wanna come? I'll cook."

"That sounds wonderful, Aura, thank you."

Dan put his hand on his friend's shoulder, "Aura, why don't you let me take care of supper today? You've probably got more catching up to do with your mom."

Aura turned to his friend as he stepped back, "You sure?"

Raising his hand, Dan nodded contently, "Yeah, I really don't mind."

He looked at his mother then back to Dan, "Thanks pal, I owe ya one."

"Don't mention it, now let's head up to your suite." Not bothering to return his pokemon, Aura lead them all up the stairs and to the room him and Diamond were staying in.

* * *

Once they had all arrived to Aura's room, Dan went over to the kitchen to start cooking, while everyone else went over to the couch to talk.

With each of them sat on the couch, Kibbs hopped up and laid down on Aura's lap, he started petting her as his mother began to speak, "So, Aura, why don't you enlighten me about what happened since the last time we spoke?"

Aura moved his hand up to Diamond and rubbed her head, "Well as you can see, Diamond evolved while we were in Lumiose City, and it was definitely one of the happiest moments of my life."

Diamond grabbed her trainer's hand from her head and held it in her soft paws, she whispered to him, "You mean _our_ life." She rested her body against Aura's arm, making Kibbs glance up at them, but shrug off their affection.

Aura chuckled, "Anyways, we met Stan during our most recent stay in Lumiose City, he was being abused by some trainer named Tyler, so being the kind-hearted person I am, I stepped in and protected him, and after taking him to the Center, I offered him a spot on my team."

The small feline gave another meow of delight as he lay on the arm of the sofa.

Darlene looked at her son a bit more focused, "I'm very proud of you, Aura, anything else happen that brought a bit of _excitement_?" Her tone sounded as if she was trying to get Aura to admit to something.

Aura scratched his head, "Well... Umm... We won a battle against that trainer, and we also took on the gym while we were there, it was a good battle, but we lost in the end."

Kibbs sighed, she looked up at the trainer, "Oh come on, Aura, we know what happened in Lumiose City, it was all over the news."

Darlene spoke up, "Well, I was hoping for you to tell us on your own, but Kibbs is right, we saw what happened when you fell from the tower, and how Diamond evolved in the first place."

Aura rubbed his head once again, "Well... I guess there's no point in trying to avoid it... Yes, Diamond and I are in a relationship now, I think it was the love we shared that made her evolve..." Aura paused, realizing that if his mother had seen his and Diamond's kiss, she must have seen everything else as well, "I guess you saw my powers, too?" He asked.

Darlene pat her son on the shoulder, "Aura, you don't have to worry about a thing, I knew of your aura abilities since the day you were born, after all-" Darlene took a second to hold out her hand and produce a small blue sphere, "I'm an aura guardian as well."

Aura was awestruck, he had no idea that his mother was capable of aura, but thinking back, it did start to make sense, and this still left him with even more questions, but before he could ask any, Dan called to them from the kitchen, "Okay everyone, supper's ready."

Kibbs hopped off Aura's lap, and Darlene stood up, Aura took hold of his mother's arm, making her turn towards him, "Aura, I know you probably have a lot of questions, but let's save them for another time, alright?" Aura looked down and nodded, "Good, now let's go eat."

Aura and his pokemon stood and followed Darlene over to the table, eating the nicely cooked supper Dan had prepared for them. It started to get late, and it was time for everyone to head back to their own rooms.

"It was nice seeing you, mom, you too, Kibbs." Aura said.

While Aura and Darlene spoke for just a little longer, Kibbs had inched herself closer to Prince, giving him a small lick, then immediately following her trainer as she left the room, though yet again, no one noticed her actions, even with Prince having a faint blush on his cheeks.

Closing the door, Aura let out a yawn, "I guess it's time to hit the hay." Aura grabbed Prince and Stan's pokeballs, and returned them for the night; meanwhile, Diamond walked over to the bed and sat down.

"I like your mom, she's really nice." Diamond said, lying back with her arms and legs sprawled out.

Aura grabbed his shorts and stripped down to change, "Yeah, I kinda missed them while we were traveling, though it doesn't really bother me too much." Aura tossed his jeans over the back of a nearby chair and got under the sheets, his girlfriend doing the same, "Night, Diamond, sweet dreams."

Aura pecked her forehead before snuggling close to her, she gave him a kiss of her own, "Night." And with that, the two laid peacefully, as they began to drift off to sleep.

* * *

Awoken from his slumber by the morning sun that shined through the curtains, Aura sat up and got out of bed, groggily making his way towards the kitchen to make a pot of coffee before he started cooking breakfast.

Sitting at the table with coffee cup in hand, Aura took a moment to think about Diamond's birthday. Sipping his coffee, he looked over at his sleeping girlfriend, _"I've gotta get her something else than just a recipe book... Maybe mom could help me, she would probably have a good idea."_

Gulping down the rest of his coffee, Aura stood up and went to go change to go see his mother, hoping that she would be awake at this time. Although, not wanting Diamond to worry about him, and not wanting to wake her either, he decided to have one of his pokemon inform her of his location should she awake before his return.

Aura picked up one of his pokeballs and clicked it open, releasing the small, blue and black canine pokemon.

The pokemon yawned, "Good morning, Master Aura, what do you need?" Prince asked, his usual tone sounding a bit off from his tired state.

"Morning, Prince, I have to go out for a while, and I don't know when I'll be back, so could you let Diamond know I went to talk with my mom if she wakes up before I'm back?"

Groggily nodding, Prince replied, "Of course," he yawned, "though I am still quite tired, mind if I sleep on the couch? Diamond will most likely wake me as soon as she notices you're gone."

Aura went over and grabbed an extra blanket and pillow from a closet and set them on the small sofa, "Sure, and sorry for waking you so early, I just don't want Diamond to worry too much."

Prince climbed onto the couch and laid down, "I understand, Master Aura." Prince let out another yawn as Aura walked towards the door.

"Thanks, Prince, I'll be back in a bit." And with that, Aura stepped out of the room to seek out his mother.

 _ **-POV Aura, 1st Person-**_

After checking in with Nurse Joy, and asking what room my mom was staying in, I walked down the hallway, easily finding the door marked with the number seventeen.

I knocked on the door lightly and waited for an answer, there was a moment of silence before the door opened to reveal my mom already awake and dressed for the day. She smiled at the sight of me, "Good morning, Aura, what're you doing here this early?"

I rubbed my head, "I was... kinda hoping you could help me with something... It's about Diamond."

Mom nodded her head, "Of course, come in and we'll talk on the sofa." She opened the door wider and stepped back, signalling for me to enter, and closing the door after I passed by.

We sat on the sofa, Kibbs hoping up between us with a smile of her own, "Morning, Aura."

"Morning, Kibbs." I looked up at my mom as I pet the dog's head, "So, about what I needed to talk about, Diamond's birthday is tomorrow, and I need help getting her a good gift."

Kibbs looked up at me, almost looking offended for some reason, "You didn't get her a gift yet? Really?!"

I raised a hand in defense, "No, I got her a gift, a recipe book in fact, but I feel like I should get her something more, something better."

My mom rubbed her chin, "Well, I haven't known her for too long, but maybe we could browse the market this morning before the tournament starts, and maybe we'll find something."

"Thanks, mom, I could really use the help." I looked at the time and stood up, "Well, I'd better get back to my room, Diamond'll probably be awake by now, see you guys in a bit."

Mom waved to me as she said goodbye, and I left their room, heading back to my own to quickly make breakfast for my pokemon, and to let them know I'd be out for a bit.

 _ **-POV 3rd Person-**_

Diamond slowly opened her eyes, sitting up and yawning as she stretched out her arms, she looked to her left, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, "Good morning, Aura..." She expected to hear her mate's caring voice, but all she heard was silence. She moved her hands from her eyes, think maybe he was still asleep, only to be shocked that he wasn't there. "Aura?!" she called, wondering if he was somewhere in the suite, and yet again, she heard nothing. As panic began to rise in her chest, she started looking around the room, noticing Prince sleeping on the sofa, so she hurried over and shook the Riolu awake, "Prince! Prince! Aura's gone!"

The canine looked up at her, yawning quietly, he sat up and rubbed his eyes, "Don't worry, Diamond, Master Aura just went to talk with his mother." Diamond calmed down a lot from hearing this. Prince climbed off the sofa and set his paw on her shoulder, "Why do you get so worried when he is not around? You know he wouldn't ever leave any of us, he cares about us too much."

"Yeah, you're right, I don't know why it gets to me, but I've been lonely for ten years, and now that I have finally someone who actually cares about me, I'm scared to lose him."

Prince pat her shoulder, smiling warmly, "Trust me, Diamond, what ever happens, Aura will always love us." Prince decided to force himself to drop his usual chivalrous tone, speaking in a more soft and caring one to show her that she's not alone anymore.

Diamond embraced Prince in a friendly hug, catching him off guard, but he returned it, "Thanks, Prince, you're so kind."

Immediately after pulling apart, they heard the door open, and looked over to see Aura walk into the room, "Mornin', Diamond, hope I didn't worry you too much."

Diamond hurried up to him and leaped into his arms, "I'm glad your back," she said, hugging him tightly.

"Of course, I'd never any of you behind." Aura put the vixen down, "Now, I have something I need to do today with my mom before the tournament starts this afternoon, so I'll see about getting Dan to watch you guys while I go do that."

Diamond looked down, a bit sad that she hasn't been able to spend a lot of time with Aura lately, but she didn't verbalize it; instead, she quickly put on a smile and nodded, "Okay, but mind if we eat first? I'm kinda hungry."

"Sure, anything for you guys." Aura went over and let Stan out of his ball, then quickly getting started on breakfast.

After eating breakfast and asking Dan to watch over his pokemon, Aura, Darlene, and Kibbs set out to the market in search of a birthday present for Diamond.

"Thanks again for doing this, mom, I really wanna get her something more than just a book."

Darlene shook her head with a smile, "Of course, dear, I'm honored you asked me of all people to help find a gift for Diamond."

Aura looked at her, "Why would you be honored to help me?"

Darlene scratched her cheek nervously, "Well, you know her a lot more than I do, so you'd probably know a better gift than I would."

Aura chuckled, "Why would I ask for your help if I was already confident in what I should get her?"

This time Darlene chuckled, "Yeah, but even if we are out here looking for a gift for Diamond, it's nice getting to spend time with you," she looked down at the Growlithe that walked by her side, "Kibbs and I haven't really seen you since you started your journey, aside from when you called us."

"Yeah... Sorry about how little I actually call you guys, I should start doing it more often, maybe send a couple souvenirs back home every once in a while."

They all gave a harty chuckle, then Darlene let out a sigh, "You know, Aura, it's been pretty quiet since you left. Only having Kibbs to keep me company..."

The fire dog looked up at her trainer a bit peeved, "Hey! I'm not _that_ boring!" She defended.

Chuckles came again, "Well, when you're taking your naps you sure are." Darlene retorted in a joking manner.

Kibbs gave a fake sneer and scoffed, turning her head to the side with her nose up, "How dare y-"

Suddenly hearing the dog pause, and the lack of her claws clicking against the pavement, Darlene and Aura turned to the orange canine to see her standing in place, her eyes fixed towards a boutique with a multitude of clothing displayed in the front window.

"What's up, Kibbs?" Aura asked.

She pointed a paw towards the shop and grinned, "You think Diamond might like those?" She asked.

The two humans followed the pokemon to the window, looking in to see a pair of beautiful fire stone studs, "Whoa... They're beautiful," Darlene exclaimed.

Aura silently nodded, "Yeah... They're perfect."

* * *

 **Sorry for cutting it short, I figured this would be a good time for a minor cliff hanger, just wanted to get this out but I'm proud of this chapter none the less. Next chapter comes the start of the tournament.**

 **If you like the story so far, you can show your support by** ** **favouriting** and ******following**. Got something you wanna say? Leave a review; I make sure to read all of them, and respond to any questions I receive in a "reviews" section on the next chapter. I enjoy interacting with my readers, and feedback is always helpful.  
**

 **Don't forget to check out my profile for more stories.  
**

 **That's all for now, thanks for reading.**


	19. Chapter 19

**For those of you who were already caught up to this point in the story, before I posted this chapter, I want you all to know that I have finally finished re-doing the other chapters, although the earlier ones are still not the greatest quality, since I wanted to keep them as close to the original as possible, but some things have been improved.  
**

 **I want to let you all know that I have replaced Chapter 10. I took it out and pushed back Chapters 11, 12, and 13, making them chapters 10, 11, and 12. But as you can see, there are no chapters missing, this is because I added a new Chapter 13 to replace the old Chapter 10, so check that out. I also did some editing to Chapter 14, adding something I'm quite proud of, and wasn't actually supposed to be introduced until later, but it works perfectly with the story, so check that out too.**

 **But if you want to just go back and read each chapter, then all the power to you, there are quite a few minor changes in many of the chapters, but they're mostly the same as before.**

 **Anywho, let's check some reviews and get to the story.**

* * *

 **=Reviews=**

 **ivanvukadin1997:** Sorry that you thought that, but rest assured that I'm not planning on quitting, I enjoy writing too much and have too much planned to just toss away. Aura's journey is long from over, and even if it takes years to finish, I plan to see it to the very end. Things just happen sometimes that will keep me from writing, I do have other stories, and I'm actually planning out multiple more pokemon stories right now, though they are a long way from being ready.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 19: Festival of Good Harvest Part 5**_

Aura, Darlene, and Kibbs arrived back at the PokeCenter, Aura holding a little baggy in his hand as they climbed the stairs to their suites.

"You guys go ahead and go back to the suite, I just gotta drop these off in Dan's room, then I'll be right there."

"Okay, honey," Darlene said.

As they passed Aura's room, Darlene and Kibbs entered, but Aura went a little farther down the hall to Dan's room, he quickly unlocked the door with the key Dan gave him, and set down the earrings with the other stuff for Diamond's birthday, then he left the room, and locked the door before going back to his own.

As Aura entered his room, he had caught the attention of the others. Dan looked over the back of the couch, and greeted the trainer with a wave, "Hey, Aura, you finished with what you needed to do?"

He was going to answer, but he paused when he noticed a familiar pair of yellow ears perk up over the back of the couch. Diamond quickly poked her head out, smiling at the sight of her mate. Of course, Aura smiled back at her, and started to approach the couch, "Hey, Diamond, hope you didn't miss me too much." He leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, making the Braixen smile.

"Maybe a little." She stood up on the couch and wrapped her arms around Aura's chest, pulling him close into a warm embrace, "I'm just glad you're back."

As he returned the embrace, he heard a chuckle come from behind him, glancing back to see Kibbs smiling coyly from the table. He gently pulled away from Diamond, and faced the puppy pokemon, "What are you laughin' at?" He asked, putting on a coy smile of his own.

"Oh, it's nothing, Aura... I'm just happy to see you've finally found someone to be with..." Her voice trailed off as she faced the floor, "even after what happened in Johto." Her coy smile turned into a somber one as a few tears started welling up in her eyes.

Being his usual caring self, Aura walked over to her and pet her head, "Something wrong, Kibbs?"

She quickly blinked away her tears and put on a happy smile, "No, don't worry about it... I was just thinking about something, from my old life in the wild."

Aura nodded in understanding, "If you say so, you know that me and Mom are always here if you ever need."

She shook her head, "Trust me, Aura, it's fine, but thank you for your concern." He nodded and returned to the couch. Aura sat down next to Diamond, putting his arm around her as she rested her head on his shoulder, it made the puppy smile, a single happy tear fell from her eye; although, Kibbs started to feel sorry for the young trainer, and what he had to go through back in the Johto Region.

* * *

Footsteps traveled down the stairs, as Aura and the others went down to the lobby. "Whoa, there's so many people here," Aura said, looking around at the crowded lobby.

Daniel stepped up to his side, "Most of them are probably just here for the tournament, but let's just hurry up and get to the battlefield, you need to be there for the matchups." Aura nodded, and they began pushing their way through the crowd towards the indoor battlefield, Diamond sticking close to her trainer so she wouldn't get lost.

Finally getting through the crowd, they stepped into the large room, a large battlefield in the center of the room, with a display screen hanging high above. Along the walls were rows of bleachers, quickly filling with people who wanted to watch the battle.

"Wow, that's a big crowd." Aura could feel Diamond's paw trembling in his hand, "Hey, you alright?" He asked, kneeling down in front of the fox.

She gulped, "Y-yeah, just kinda nervous."

"Don't worry, Diamond, I know the crowd seems a bit overwhelming, so if you wanna sit out for a while, then that's fine with me, but I wanna give all three of you a chance to battle, so just let me know when you think you're ready, okay?"

She poked her fingers together, "Okay... Thanks, Aura."

He pulled her close, startling her a bit from the sudden movement, "You're welcome, Diamond. Love you." Getting over her initial shock, she wrapped her arms around him and smiled, telling him the same.

Aura pulled away from her and stood back up, looking around for where they needed to go. Dan tapped his shoulder, and pointed to a row of tables with a large banner above it reading 'Competitor check in', "I think you're supposed to go there and check in."

Aura looked over and shrugged, "Huh, well, alright then."

Darlene pat her son on the shoulder, "We're going to find seats. Good luck, Aura, make us proud."

He looked back, "Don't worry, we will." Darlene, Kibbs, and Dan headed to the bleachers, and Aura stepped into one of the lines, him and Diamond waiting for their turn to register.

When they finally reached the table, the man behind it greeted them with a smile, "Welcome, are you here to register, or to check in and confirm your attendance with a registration card?" Assuming he knew what they meant, Aura pulled the card he got a few days ago, and handed it to the man. He took the card and set it into a scanner, Aura's profile coming up on his computer, and changing his attendance status to 'confirmed', "Alright, looks like you're all set, the tournament should start soon, so please wait in here until then." Aura thanked the man, taking Diamond's hand in his own, and walking away to wait for the start of the event.

With only twenty minutes going by, a voice came over the intercom, informing everyone that the tournament was about to begin, and for all audience members to head to their seats, while all participating trainers were to stand by the far wall and await further directions. They all headed straight to where they were told, and once everyone was where they needed to be, the intercom came to life once more, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to this year's Festival of Good Harvest Pokemon Tournament!" There was a short pause as everyone in the room cheered, "We have forty competitors for this year's event, today will be the preliminaries, and the rules are simple; each battle will be a one on one match, with a set time limit of ten minutes, this way we will have plenty of time for every trainer to have a chance in battle. Now, take a look at the screens above for the battle order and matchups!"

Aura watched the screen, seeing forty pictures of pokemon trainers, including his own, flip over like playing cards, hiding their faces, and going through an animation of spinning around, and virtually shuffling each picture. It took about twenty seconds of shuffling before each photo spread across the screen, still faced down, and keeping the photos hidden. There was a quick second when white lines appeared between the photos, connecting them into pairs of two. Then finally, the pictures flipped over, revealing the trainers for each match. Aura and Diamond quickly noticed that Aura was fighting in the third match, but they were a bit surprised when they saw who he was going up against.

"So, I guess our first battles are against each other, eh?" The two of them turned around, and saw the familiar, blonde haired girl they had met on route 4, three weeks ago.

"Hey, Gwen, it's nice to see you again. You remember Diamond, don't you?"

Gwen chuckled, "Of course, Kelly told me all about what you guys did for her back on route 4," she leaned in close for a moment, putting a hand by her mouth as she whispered to them, "in fact, she would talk about Diamond the most, and I think she's quite the fan."

"Hm, would you look at that, you've already got a fanbase." Aura pat the fox's back, she just shyly smiled and poked her fingers, thinking about when they watched over the Lillipup. "So, what have you guys been up to?"

She crossed her arms, bringing one up and tapping her chin, "Well, after we met you guys, me and Kelly got to Santalune City, stayed for a couple days, and won the Bug Badge... And damn, were you guys ever right about Viola, she was quite the challenge."

"Yeah, we had a tough time, too, but we pulled through and won, all thanks to the power of our bond." Aura put his hand on Diamond's shoulder, pulling her against his side. Diamond looked up, and smiled at the trainer.

They suddenly heard the crowd roaring with applause, Diamond flinched a bit, and covered her ears from the sudden volume increase. Aura looked behind him to see a battle had just ended, a Rhyhorn lying on it's side, while a strong looking Charmeleon stood above it triumphantly.

The announcer boomed through the loudspeaker, "What an exciting battle! Even though he was put up against a pokemon with a type advantage, John's Charmeleon was able to wipe out Patrick's Rhyhorn in under five minutes, securing them a spot in the second round!"

Patrick returned his Rhyhorn and put away it's pokeball, while Charmeleon walked over to it's trainer's side with confidence. "Nice work, Charmeleon, you've shown yet again how strong you are." Charmeleon called out in approval, thanking it's trainer for the compliment.

Once John had returned Charmeleon, he walked over to the center of the field, and shook hands with his opponent, thanking him for the battle. As he walked off the field, the announcer spoke up again, "Alright everyone, our third match of the day is going to be Aura Borealis, against Gwendalyn Haswell! Would both trainers please report to the field."

They were surprised at how quickly their match had come up, having been too distracted to notice. They took a moment to look at each other, "Good luck, Gwen, may the best trainer win."

She nodded, "Same to you, let's hope for a good battle."

Gwen took off to one side of the field, while Aura and Diamond went to the other, standing in the opposing trainer boxes. The referee raised his hands and spoke, his voice coming out of the speakers, "The third match between pokemon trainers Aura Borealis, and Gwendalyn Haswell is about to begin, as stated before, each side will use one pokemon, and the battle is over when either side is unable to continue, or once the ten minutes are up, are both trainers ready?" They each nodded, "Battle begin!"

Taking initiative, Gwen took a ball from her belt and threw it into the air, releasing a red and grey, bird pokemon. Aura responded by reaching for his belt, taking one of the pokeballs, and sending out his pokemon of choice, the small feline appearing from the white light.

"It looks like Gwendalyn will be using Fletchinder, and Aura will be using Shinx!" The announcer proclaimed. There was a short whirring sound coming from above, the overhead screens turning blue, and showing a layout of each pokemon's basic stats, including a health meter, and even their genders, showing that both Stan, and Gwen's Fletchinder were male.

 **-Battle Begin-**

Without hesitation, Aura called the first attack, "Stan, charge up some power, then use spark!" The Shinx began crackling with electricity, a shower of sparks flying from his fur, soon enveloping himself in a field of flickering electricity. He charged towards the flying type, pushing off his hind legs as he leaped into the air.

"Fletchinder, dodge it!" The bird quickly flew to the side, avoiding contact with the feline, but still getting his leg grazed by Stan's electric field. He jerked away, his left leg twitching a bit from the shock, but overall he was fine.

Stan landed back on the ground, his veil of electricity dissipating into just a couple of small sparks.

"That was a close call, Fletchinder, let's not let him get in another attack like that, use ember!" Fletchinder dove towards the feline, opening his beak and firing a barrage of small fireballs at him.

Not even waiting for a command, Stan started sidestepping the attacks, avoiding many of the flames, though just like his attack against Fletchinder, some of the embers barely grazed him, singeing some of his fur. Even as the barrage of attacks came at quick speeds, Stan continued avoiding them, unable to do anything else but run, while Aura tried to find a solution, Diamond stood by his side, feeling a bit worried about the Shinx.

Thinking quickly, Aura called a command he thought might work, "Stan, if you can do it right now, try using flash!" Understanding his orders, Stan continued his speedy pace, all while charging energy in the star at the tip of his tail, giving it a faint glow. Feeling enough energy stored within, he flicked his tail, and let loose a blinding flash of light, forcing Fletchinder to to cease his attack, and shut his eyes tight as they burned painfully.

"Uh-oh, looks like Fletchinder can't attack right now, giving Shinx the perfect opening for an attack," the announcer boomed.

Gwen hastily tried to find a way out of it, but not before Aura was able to call out another attack, ordering Stan to do what he did when the battle started. As the Shinx was enveloped in a veil of crackling electricity, Gwen got an idea. Just like before, Stan gained enough speed, and leaped into the air towards the bird, Gwen watched closely, waiting for the perfect moment to call to her pokemon. Once Stan was only about two or three feet away, Gwen called her command, "Fletchinder! Stay there, and use flame charge!"

Following his trainer's orders, Fletchinder surrounded himself with a raging fire, trusting his trainer's strategy. The two collided in the air, however, not just Fletchinder got damaged by the attack, but Stan was hurt by the raging flames of the flame charge.

Fletchinder was pushed back, stuttering in the air a bit as he tried to regain his flight, while Stan landed on his feet, although cringing a bit from the burning pain he felt.

On the screens above, Fletchinder's health bar had lowered to around thirty percent, while Stan's was now down to half, a little flame also appeared next to Stan's health bar, "What a great counterattack, using Fletchinder's flames to damage Shinx as he got close, breaking down some of the damage from spark, and leaving the electric type with a burn."

Gwen pumped her fist as the crowd cheered, Fletchinder finally recovering from the flash, and regaining his vision. "You doin' alright, Fletchinder?" He gave a quick call to his trainer, saying he was okay.

"What about you, Stan? You good to continue?" Aura called. Stan nodded, but flinched as the burn took effect, knocking down some of his health on the status screen above, _"Shit, we have to make this quick."_ Aura thought about Stan's moves, deciding which ones whould be good to use at the moment, though there wasn't much he could do.

Taking Aura's moment of hesitation, Gwen called for Fletchinder's next attack, "Let's finish this, use flame charge!" Again, the bird enveloped himself in fire, but this time, charging at the Shinx. As he grew closer, Stan instinctively dodged, but was still grazed by the flames, knocking down a bit more of his health. "Aura's Shinx might be fast, but you can be faster, keep up your flame charge!" Fletchinder enveloped himself in fire once again, diving at Shinx as all he could do was dodge, his health slowly going down bit by bit from the burn he had sustained, and being grazed by Fletchinder's flames.

Only able to watch as the fire type continuously divebombed the Shinx, Aura started to notice a pattern in the attacks, he felt they looked very familiar, as well as being very convenient. Quickly thinking over his options, Aura called to his pokemon, "Stan, stay there and charge up some power, then surround yourself with spark, and wait for my signal!" Following orders, the Shinx began charging up power, then surrounded himself in a bright vale of electric energy, his health still slowly decreasing as he awaited further commands. _"I hope this works."_ As Fletchinder grew closer to Stan, Aura watched closely for the right moment, calling out to the Shinx once Fletchinder was close enough. "Let it loose!" Understanding what he meant, Stan released the energy he had built up with charge, expanding the small bubble of crackling electricity from his spark, and causing it to explode into a shower of lightning, raining down across the entire field, and kicking up small plumes of dirt with every strike to the ground.

Fletchinder did his best to weave around as many bolts as he could, growing ever closer to the Shinx. Once he was only a few feet away, Stan let loose another wave of lightning, blasting the ground around him, and sending up an enormous explosion. The entire field was shrouded in a thick cloud of smoke, blocking all view of the battle, not even the status screen's sensors could see through the shroud, making it unable to update the stats, leaving everyone in a state of anticipation to see the outcome of the battle, watching as lightning continued to flash within and around the cloud, making it look like a natural lightning storm.

 **-Battle End-**

Once the lighting had begun dying down, everyone waited for the smoke and dust to clear next, eager to see the results, and once it did, the whole crowd cheered in amazement. The field was littered with small craters, but what surprised them all the most, was when they saw Fletchinder lying on the ground behind Stan, who was still standing, and panting heavily from the huge exertion of energy.

There was another whirring sound, and the status screens finally updated, showing Stan had only about ten percent of his energy, while Fletchinder's bar was completely empty. The roars of applause grew, almost overpowering the booming announcer as he spoke up, "Absolutely amazing! It all looked to be over for Aura and his Shinx, but they turned it around with a tremendous discharge attack, defeating Gwendalyn's Fletchinder, and earning them a place in the second round!"

Diamond jumped for joy, wrapping Aura in an excited hug, "You did it! We're going to the next round!"

Aura wrapped his left arm around Diamond, resting his hand on her back, and smiling down at her, "Thanks, Diamond, but let's take care of Stan before we celebrate, he used up a lot of energy to win that battle."

She let go of her trainer, following him onto the field towards the exhausted Shinx. Aura kneeled down and picked him up, a small, weak smile crossing his lips, "We did it, Aura, we won."

He chuckled at the feline's show of devotion and pride, "Yeah, we did, but you need to rest for now, that last attack took a lot out of you." Aura took Stan's ball, and returned him, giving him a chance to rest, and preventing his wounds from getting any worse before he's healed.

Gwen walked onto the field, looking a little disappointing, but still cheerful, "That was a good battle, Aura, I thought I had you beat, but you turned things around pretty quickly," she reached out a hand towards the trainer, "good luck in the next round."

Taking her hand with a smile, they exchanged a quick handshake, and walked off the battlefield, heading back to the lobby to get their pokemon treated.

At the front desk, Gwen and Aura gave Nurse Joy their pokeballs, asking her to get their pokemon healed up. "Of course, I'll be right back." She took their pokeballs and set them on a tray, taking them into the back room to be healed.

While they waited, Gwen decided to strike up a conversation, asking Aura about Stan. "So, when did you get a Shinx? Kelly told me about you guys and your pokemon, but she didn't mention anything about... Stan, was it?" Gwen paused for a moment to think of the name Aura had called his Shinx during their battle, Aura nodded in confirmation.

"Yeah, we actually met Stan while we were in Lumiose City, he was being abused in the streets by his old trainer, but I managed to get him to a Pokemon Center before he got hurt any more."

Gwen covered her mouth as she gasped, "Holy Arceus, that's awful."

He crossed his arms and nodded, "I know, but that's the reality we live in, most humans are selfish and greedy, not caring about anyone but themselves, especially towards pokemon. They don't even consider how pokemon feel, and it burns me up to see them get hurt like that."

"Well, Stan's lucky to have you as his trainer, Diamond too."

Aura looked down to the fox, pulling her close to his side, "Yeah, and I'm lucky to have them." Diamond leaned into her trainer's side, sighing contently. "Once Stan's healed up, I'll introduce you to him, and Prince, too."

Gwen chuckled, "Yeah, and I'll introduce you to my team as well, back then I only had Kelly, but I got a few more now than just her and Fletchinder."

Aura nodded, "Hm, that would be nice, the lobby is practically empty since everyone is watching the tournament, and it would be a good chance for Diamond and Kelly to see each other again, you did say that she was a fan of her's, didn't you?"

This made her chuckle again, "From the way I see it at least, she tends to speak highly of Diamond."

As the two were talking, Nurse Joy came out from the back room with their pokemon on the tray, "Aura? Gwen? You're pokemon are all healed." As they took their pokeballs, Nurse Joy had remembered to inform them of something, "Oh, Aura, the second half of the tournament starts tomorrow morning at seven, make sure to be there on time."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy, I'll make sure to be there."

She bowed her head, "Have a nice day."

With their pokemon healed, Aura and Gwen went over to one of the more open areas of the lobby, sending out their pokemon to introduce themselves. Aura sent out Stan and Prince, while Gwen sent out Fletchinder, a Marill, a Vivillon, and to Aura's surprise, a Herdier. Gwen looked over, noticing a the Riolu with Aura, and from what Kelly had told her, she assumed it was Prince. As soon as the Herdier caught sight of Aura, it's tail started wagging.

"Wow, you've gotten a lot of pokemon since we last met, and from the looks of it, Kelly evolved too."

Gwen stood proud and nodded her head, "That's right, we've done a lot of training since our last encounter, and Kelly evolved while we were fighting Viola."

Kelly barked happily, "Yeah, it's nice to see you guys again, when Gwen told me she ran into you at the store, I really wanted to see you all again."

Diamond swatted her mate's side with the back of her hand, "You _knew_ Gwen was here? And you didn't tell me about it?"

He shrugged, giving her an apologetic expression, "Sorry, guess I kinda forgot about that, I was really busy thinking about something very important." She huffed, even though she was upset that Aura hadn't told her about Gwen and Kelly being there, she didn't want to get overworked and jump to conclusions, like she had back when he had gotten the scars on his chest, so she just let it go, assuming what he was thinking of was in fact that important.

"Anywho, you guys wanna go watch the rest of the battles? Dan would probably like to see you again, and I can introduce you to my mom."

Gwen thought about it, "Yeah, we don't really have anything better to do right now, so we might as well." Gwen started returning her pokemon, one by one.

"Awesome, and why don't you let Kelly stay out for a while, I'm sure her and Diamond still have a lot of catching up to do."

Gwen looked to the Herdier, she started wagging her tail and nodded to her trainer, "Sure, I have nothing against it."

Kelly and Diamond smiled, walking together as they all headed back to the battle room, though while those two were busy, Aura leaned in towards Gwen, quietly asking her something that made her give him a friendly smile and nod. Aura thanked her and straightened up, walking into the large room and climbing the bleachers to where Dan and Darlene were, quickly introducing Gwen to Darlene, and sitting down to watch the rest of the battles.

* * *

 **Woah! I'd say that battle is by far one of my best yet. I honestly didn't have any sort of plan to end the battle in that specific way, it just sorta happened. Stan was never even supposed to learn discharge, and although I may have made the win all too convenient for Aura, I actually didn't even think about Gwen's last command, doing an almost identical situation that had just happened while Fletchinder was blinded, though I decided to work with it, so Aura could pull through in a more amazing way.**

 **I'm sorry this took so long to get out, but I'm glad it's finally finished. Next chapter is the end of the festival, and I might be adding something special to it; I don't know for sure, but there's a chance.**

 **If you like the story so far, you can show your support by** ** **favouriting** and ******following**. Got something you wanna say? Leave a review; I make sure to read all of them, and respond to any questions I receive in a "reviews" section on the next chapter. I enjoy interacting with my readers, and feedback is always helpful.  
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 **Don't forget to check out my profile for more stories.  
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 **That's all for now, thanks for reading.**


	20. Chapter 20

**FORUM:** I set up a forum for my stories, and the link is on my profile.

 **Just a quick note: When I uploaded Chapter 19, I'm wondering if anyone got a notification for it? I made sure to delete the update from before and post an entirely new file for it, not just quick replace the chapter, but I don't know if that actually sends out notifications, so if a couple people could let me know if they recieved a notification for Chapter 19 a few days ago, let me know. Now, onto a more story related question...**

 **I should have asked this last chapter, but I wanted to know what everyone thought of the new Battle Dividers, I personaly kinda like them cause it's useful while writing, giving me a specific spot to write the battles without losing them in all the words, and I can even start writing the battles before I even get to them in the chapter, but if too many people say they get in the way of reading, then I'll make sure to remove them before posting the chapters.**

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 **=Reviews=**

 **ShadowForge:** The thing about Johto is an interesting one indeed, but it's another thing that will be explained later in the story, I have many details planned about the incident she's referring to, and the general point it will actually be tied to, the funny thing is, that was never actually planned until that chapter. As for the tournament, the numbers will be dropping, but every battle is "randomized" so there's no set matchups until the round begins, well, from their perspective at least.

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 **IMPORTANT UPDATES:** I know I don't usually put stuff between the chapter title and reviews, but I might start doing it for IMPORTANT things or big UPDATES.

I wanted to let you all know that I have recently released a brand new story, "Guild of the Burning Fox", it is a PMD/harem/slice-of-life story, so go check that out.

Also, I wanna mention that I had requested a new character tag for pokemon, so spread the word that the Lycanroc tag has been added, and maybe we'll see more stories with it pop up.

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 _ **Chapter 20: Festival of Good Harvest Part 6**_

After a good nights rest, Aura and the others all descended the stairs of the Pokemon Center down to the lobby, passing Nurse Joy on their way to the stadium. It was twenty minutes to seven, and the start of the today's battles where soon to begin.

After their outstanding victory in the first round, Aura and his pokemon felt confident, but he would remind them to keep it down, and to not get cocky, otherwise they'd be sure to lose. But they still kept their spirits high, hoping for a good battle like the day prior. Even Diamond was feeling pumped about the day, walking with a bit of confidence in her step. "So, I take it you'd be up for battling today?" Aura asked her.

She just kinda shrugged her shoulders, "I guess, it's not so much battling that I'm worried about anymore, as it is the large crowds..." She paused, feeling Aura place his hand on her shoulder. Diamond looked up, seeing his usual tender smile, she sighed, placing her paw on his hand, "But, I'd rather face this fear now, instead of later, so if you need me, I'll be ready to battle at any time."

"That's the spirit, Diamond, and you already know what I'd do if anyone tries anything today," he told her, giving the fox a playful smirk as he hit his palm with a fist. This made her chuckle, remembering what he did back in Lumiose City; his mother, however, didn't look quite as amused, scolding her son for the violent remark, "What? I'm not gonna let anyone insult her, and it's not like I'd actually _kill_ them, just give 'em the ol' one two," he explained, swinging his fists to emphasise his point. This time both Diamond and Dan, gave a chuckle, while Kibbs and Darlene still weren't really amused, but just sighed, and continued towards the stadium.

* * *

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," the announcer boomed, "and welcome to the second day of the Festival of Good Harvest Pokemon Tournament!" The crowd roared in applause, "Thank you all for being here so early, and I hope each trainer got plenty of sleep last night, cause the battles will begin soon, but first, we have a very special announcement to make!" Many of the trainers looked at one another, wondering what was going on.

Diamond pulled on Aura's shirt, getting his attention, and pointing over to a man on the other side of the room, he looked over and watched the man start walking up to the battlefield, holding something under a sheet, "I wonder what that is?" He questioned.

"As you all are aware, we do not usually have a form of prize for winning this tournament, but this year is different." The man removed the small blanket, and held up a glass case, what was inside made many people widen their eyes in surprise, "This year, the owners of the pokemon daycare have been so kind as to offer us this pokemon egg as this year's prize, we thank them greatly for this generous donation, and wish each trainer the best of luck in today's battles, and hope the winning trainer will take good care of this egg." The crowd cheered again, while every trainer looked determined to win the egg, "Now, bring your attention to the screens overhead to see round two's matchups!"

Just like the day prior, every competing trainer's picture appeared on screen, turning over like cards, and shuffling around. Ten seconds of suspense had passed before the cards finally flipped over, revealing the twenty trainers in round two, and pairing them all together in ten sets of two.

Looking over the matchups, they noticed a familiar trainer paired with Aura in the fourth battle, Diamond looked at the picture closely, "Hey, Aura, isn't that..."

"Yeah... it is." Aura looked around the crowd of trainers, spotting the familiar trainer walking towards them, and just as he though, Dewott was by his side.

Matt walked up to them, smiling at his opponent, "Looks like we'll be having that rematch sooner than we thought," he gave a quick thumbs up, "I'm looking forward to it."

Returning the smile, Aura gave him a small nod, "Yeah, same here." After their quick exchange of words, Matt took off back into the crowd, "Come on, Diamond, let's go sit with the others until our match starts." Nodding to her trainer, they climbed the bleachers, sitting themselves down with the others as they awaited their upcoming battle.

* * *

With the first three battles over, one of which ending in a tie, it was finally time for Aura to compete with Matt for a spot in round three. Him and Diamond stood up as the announcer called for the next two trainers to report to the field. With each of the others wishing them luck, Aura stepped down the bleachers, Diamond following on his heels, and they approached the battlefield.

As Aura and Matt stepped into the opposing trainer boxes, the announcer spoke through the speakers, "The fourth battle of round two will be between Aura Borealis and Matthew Black, trainers will use one pokemon each, and the battle is over when either side can no longer continue, or if the time limit expires."

Diamond looked up to her trainer, "So, Aura, who are you gonna use in this fight? Me, or Prince?"

Taking a second, Aura sighed, "Well, assuming he's gonna use Dewott, I'll probably be using Prince for this one, so you okay with sitting another round out?"

Diamond nodded, "It's fine, Aura, even if I don't get a chance this time, there's always next time." In truth, she was kinda hoping to battle this time, but she trusted Aura's judgement, and knew there would be many more battles on their journey.

It surprised Diamond a bit when Aura suddenly pulled her towards him, making her flush a bit, but still enjoy his affection, "Don't worry, Diamond, I'll make sure you get a chance to battle today." Letting go of her, Aura unclipped a ball from his belt, watching Matt do the same, and each tossing the red and white spheres into the air, unleashing the pokemon within. Appearing on Aura's side of the field, Prince immediately took up a fighting stance, and just as Aura expected, Matt had selected Dewott for their rematch.

With both pokemon on the field, the scanner overhead started up, analyzing the stats of both pokemon, and revealing them on the overhead display.

Pumped for the rematch, Matt looked at Aura with excited joy, calling out to the trainer across the field, "Awesome, it looks like it'll be a true rematch, but me and Dewott aren't gonna lose this time, we've been training hard since our last battle!"

A drop of sweat ran down Aura's forehead, as he stepped back awkwardly, "Uh... okay then." He leaned over to Diamond, "Why do I get the feeling he's trying to prove himself."

The fox shrugged, also a bit taken back by the trainer's sudden energetic outburst, "Maybe because you're an aura guardian?"

The referee raised a flag in each hand, asking if both trainers were ready, and after getting a nod in response from them both, he swung the flags down, calling out, "Battle begin!"

 **-Battle Begin-**

Without a second of hesitation, Matt called for Dewott to attack, "Let's start this off with Aqua Jet!" Obeying her trainer's command, Dewott enveloped herself in a veil of pressurized water, pushing off the ground, and flying at Prince.

"Quick Attack!" Aura called, using his usually method of dodging. The Riolu brought one foot back, then pushed off the ground at a quick pace, rushing to the side, and avoiding the attack. "Now circle around and use Force Palm!" Doing as his master commanded, Prince looped back towards Dewott, charging aura in his palm, and preparing to strike. Still surrounded in the veil of water, Dewott swerved around to avoid the Force Palm, "Don't let her get away, Prince, catch up and keep attacking!" As Dewott was forced to continue fleeing from the dog, Matt looked for a way to get her out of this situation, thinking back on all their training from before. Taking this opportunity, Aura called out his next command, "Alright, Prince, see if you can take aim!" He called. Understanding the command, Prince focused on his Foresight, watching Dewott very carefully, and preparing to execute an accurate strike.

With Prince growing closer to Dewott, Matt was worried all their training would have been for nothing; but then, he recalled watching Aura's fight in round one, how he turned things around by mirroring his opponent's strategy. Focusing on his pokemon's movements, Matt blurted out his command, "Circle around, Dewott! Then attack from behind!" Taking a moment to adjust herself, Dewott shot to the left, circling back behind the Riolu, and leaving both Prince and Aura a bit surprised from the unexpected command.

"We've got him now, Dewott! Razor Shell!" Speeding towards the Fighting Type, Dewott took her scalchops from her hips, aquatic energy extending from the shells like swords, and slashed at the canine's back.

Prince shouted in pain, flying forward from the momentum, and tumbling across the ground, landing on his belly a few yards away. "An impressive play from Matthew; using a similar strategy Aura had back in round one, he turned things around, and landed the first hit of the match, but will the results be the same?"

Looking up at the status screen, Aura watched Prince's HP drop to seventy percent, "You okay, Prince?!" Aura called, watching his Riolu push himself off the ground, then wiping a bit of blood from his face before nodding.

"Yes, Master Aura, I'll be fine." He stood back up and faced his opponent, seeing the Dewott land in front of her trainer, who was smiling with excitement the entire time, and praising his partner for their attack.

"That was awesome, Dewott! All that training must have really payed off!" Dewott turned to her trainer, and pumped her fist with confidence.

"We can't let our guard down, Prince; they may have gotten stronger since our last battle, but we can still turn this around!" Agreeing with his master, Prince took up another fighting stance, ready to continue the fight at a moment's notice.

Noticing their foe's ready to continue, Matt ended his premature celebration, and returned his focus to the battle, "Okay, Dewott, let's make sure to play it safe, you may be way stronger than before, but Aura's Riolu was super strong last time!" Nodding her head, Dewott prepared herself to attack at her trainer's command. "Let's try out that plan we made earlier, use Focus Energy!" Not dropping her stance, Dewott let her body relax, taking a deep breath, as a very thin veil of white light surrounded her body; although, it faded away moments later, as Dewott stared down the Riolu, her eyes filled with determination.

Both trainer and pokemon mentally prepared themselves for the unexpected, "Get ready, Prince, we don't know what they're planning, so stay focused."

With six minutes remaining on the clock, Matt called out to Dewott, "Alright, Dewott, let's end this battle now! Use rapid Fury Cutters!" Unsheathing the scalchops on each of her hips, blades of light green energy formed from the shells, the Water otter speeding towards Prince, ready to strike. Within a moment, Dewott appeared in front of the Riolu, letting out a battle cry, and furiously slashing at the canine.

"Block it, Prince!" Aura shouted. Moments before Dewott was able to land her attack, Prince brought his arms up in an attempt to prevent a direct hit, although, Dewott didn't seem fazed at all. As the blades made contact with Prince's arms, he had managed to block the physical attack, however, it made no difference in how much damage he received, but it wasn't over yet. Dewott continued to assault the Riolu with a flurry of Fury Cutters, leaving Prince with no other choice than to try blocking each hit as they came, each strike growing stronger than the last.

The announcer boomed over the speakers, "It looks like Riolu's in a tough spot; so long as Dewott continues to attack with Fury Cutter, it'll just keep getting stronger, and with the added effects of Focus Energy, blocking is no where near as effective, will this be the end for Aura?"

Tightening his fists, Aura watched as Prince did his best to block each swing of Dewott's blades, but the damage he had already sustained left him weakened, and he wouldn't be able to keep this up for long. Dewott continued her barrage of attacks, dealing more damage with each blow, and finally, breaking through the Riolu's defenses, making him stagger backwards, and leave him open for attacks. Taking this opportunity, Matt commanded Dewott to deliver the final blow, "It's time to end this, Dewott! Hydro Pump!"

Taking a deep breath, Dewott unleashed a large jet of water, hitting Prince point-blank in the chest, and forcing him across the field, landing on his back at Aura's feet, leaving him with only ten percent of his health.

"Amazing! Riolu had somehow managed to withstand the extremely powerful attack, but Dewott doesn't look too good either after using such a strong move, meaning this is still anyone's battle!" The Announcer boomed again.

" _Dammit! One more hit and Prince'll be done for, would continuing this battle even be worth it?"_ Aura watched as Prince struggled to get up, seeing the pain spread across his face each time he fell, yet able to clearly feel his determination growing with each attempt, _"Prince depends on me to lead him to victory, and trusts me to make the right choices, just like I depend on his strength, and trust his loyalty to win this fight, and it's that mutual bond that makes us stronger."_ With his determination lifted, Aura began to glow with a thin veil of blue energy, "Come on, Prince! I know we can turn this battle around! Show them the power of our bond! And let's win this battle, together!"

Not wanting to fail his master, Prince pushed himself off the ground, forcing himself to stand, and continue the fight. Closing his eyes, the little Riolu emanated a powerful aura; the appendages on his head rising, as he focused on his will to grow stronger, and the determination to overcome this challenge.

Appearing out of thin air, eight swords of light blue energy began dancing around the Fighting Type, and as Prince opened his determined eyes, the swords crossed with one another, and a red aura enveloped the Riolu for a moment, sending a massive wave of energy through the small canine's body.

The moment both, the blue swords, and the red glow had disappeared, Prince could clearly feel the increase in strength. Staring down the panting Dewott with a determined gaze, Prince glanced back to his master, nodding his head, and getting one back in return.

Feeling the strength of the bond him and Aura shared, Prince took off down the field in an instant, bringing his fist up, before swinging it back, enveloping it in a swirling energy of red and orange aura.

Standing on the other side of the field, both Matt and Dewott were in absolute shock, stunned from seeing the Riolu not only recover from the earlier barrage of attacks, but somehow come back even stronger than before.

With Prince very quickly closing the gap between him and Dewott, Matt snapped himself out of his stupor, and blurted out the first command that came to mind, "Dewott! Counter attack with Hydro Pump!"

Still a bit exhausted from earlier, Dewott struggled to build up the necessary energy for the powerful move, just barely managing to let loose the large burst of high-pressurized water; but like how Dewott was before, neither Prince, nor Aura seemed fazed at all by the sudden attack.

"Drop down!" Aura shouted, Prince following the order within a moment's notice, and dropping to the ground. The crowd let out a roar of applause as the small canine effortlessly slid under the large blast of water, swiftly jumping back to his feet as the attack subsided, and continued to sprint towards his tired foe, appearing before her in an instant. "Now, Prince! Attack!"

Frozen in both fear and shock, Dewott just helplessly watched as Prince kicked off the ground, flipping in the air to build up momentum, then striking down on the Water otter, slamming her into the ground, and kicking up an explosion of dirt and smoke upon impact.

 **-Battle End-**

On the edge of their seats, the crowd watched Dewott's HP rapidly deplete, and within seconds, they erupted in cheers as Dewott's HP had gone from nearly full, to completely empty.

Raising a flag, the referee called out, "Dewott is unable to battle, Riolu wins, so the victory goes to Aura Borealis!"

With excitement overflowing in the room, the announcer boomed over the speakers, "Absolutely amazing! In the heat of battle, Aura's Riolu pushed through his weakened state, and mustered up enough strength to not only turn the battle in their favour, but managed to learn two new moves in the process! I don't know about you folks, but I can't wait to see how Aura will do in round three!"

Seeing Dewott lying on the ground, Matt ran to her side and lifted her into his arms, "You did great, Dewott," he lifted a pokeball in his hand, "I'll get you fixed up as soon as I can." Silently nodding, Dewott let the red light envelope her, safely returning back into her ball for now.

On the other side of the field, Aura and Diamond ran towards Prince, who was kneeling down in exhaustion. Stopping at his side, Aura dropped to his knees next to the pokemon, "That was awesome, Prince, I knew you could do it," Aura lifted Prince's pokeball in his hand, "I'll get you to Nurse Joy right away, so rest up for now." Nodding with a smirk, Prince was engulfed in the red beam of light, returning to the confinements of the red and white sphere.

Standing back up, both Aura and Matt approached the center of the field, "It was a good battle, Aura, we may have lost to you again, but Dewott and I will keep working hard, every day, until we can finally beat you."

Aura nodded, "Well then, good luck with that, Matt, I'll be looking forward to next time we meet." As Matt walked off the field towards the exit, Aura and Diamond ascended the bleachers, hearing the announcer call out for the next two trainers to report to the field.

Stepping over to the others, Darlene stood up and pulled her son close, Kibbs rubbing up against his shins, "I'm so proud of you, Aura, you've done a great job raising your team."

Aura returned the embrace, thanking his mother for the compliment, "Thanks, mom, I'm glad you think so," he pulled himself back, "but could the congratulations wait for a bit? I have to get Prince healed up."

Looking at him a bit odd, Gwen verbalized her confusion, "Then why didn't you just head straight to Nurse Joy right after the battle? What did you come up here for?"

Looking back, Aura stepped away from his mother, "I figured Diamond could stay here for a bit so she doesn't miss the battles," he explained, noticing the fox in question looking down at the field.

"But wouldn't you come right back afterwards?" Gwen inquired.

"Actually, since there's still a lot of battles before round three, I wanted to use this time to take care of something," Aura looked over at Daniel, "and I'm gonna need Dan's help for this, so I had to come get him anyways." As Dan stood up, Aura tapped Diamond on the shoulder, snapping her attention away from the battle for a moment, "You gonna be fine if I leave for a bit? I wanna do something before our next fight, and I don't want you to miss out on the tournament, so my mom and Gwen are gonna keep an eye on you here, okay?"

Fidgeting with her fingers, Diamond was a bit hesitant with her answer; she still didn't like being separated from Aura, even if she knew deep down that he would never abandon her; but at the same time, she did want to continue watching the tournament, and she already felt comfortable with both Darlene and Gwen. So, looking down with a sigh, Diamond finally answered Aura, "I guess I'll be fine… But you'll be back before the next round though, right?"

Looking at her with his usual caring expression, Aura crouched down and gave her a nod, "Of course, Diamond, I promised you'd get a chance to fight, and I don't plan on backing out."

Taking Aura by surprise, Diamond quickly wrapped her arms around her trainer, resting her head on his shoulder as he returned the affection. As they pulled away from each other, Aura gave his mate a quick peck on her lips, leaving the Braixen with a faint blush, but she just smiled at him, growing used to his sudden expressions of love.

Standing back up, Aura and Dan walked away from the others, descending the steps, and heading out of the stadium. After making a quick stop to drop Prince off with Nurse Joy, the two trainers hurried up the stairs, wanting to start setting everything up for Diamond's birthday.

* * *

 **I decided to cut this chapter in half so I could update it a little quicker, the other half will be chapter 21, so each chapter I had planned beyond here has been bumped up by one** **. I don't know how long it'll take to write the next chapter, but I'm hoping to do something kinda big for it. By the way, sorry for the rushed ending, I wanted to hurry and update the story since it's been nearly a month, I've been very busy with real life stuff, and also working on other stories.  
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 **If you like the story so far, you can show your support by** ** **favouriting** and ******following**. Got something you wanna say? Leave a review; I make sure to read all of them, and respond to any questions I receive in a "reviews" section on the next chapter. I enjoy interacting with my readers, and feedback is always helpful.  
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 **Don't forget to check out my profile for more stories.  
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 **That's all for now, thanks for reading.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Okay, I've got a question for you guys; I'm wondering what exactly drew you to this story, what made you keep reading it? I'm wondering because I wanna make sure this story is enjoyable for more people, so some feedback would really be appreciated.**

 **Got a pretty big update for you guys:** I have made a decision that could possibly affect this story greatly, but I wanna try it. As you can all see, the story's title, summary, and tags (not OC and Delphox) have been altered, and I have a good reason for that. For quite a while, shortly after starting this story, I decided to seperate Aura's journey into sagas, each saga being a seperate story, and following Aura as he travels through a different region each time. There are six sagas planned, and going off what I currently do and don't have planned, I'd estimate this story will reach maybe between 550 to 600 chapters collectively, maybe even 700. I hope this ends up in my favour later on, but only time will tell. Anywho, let's get started with this chapter.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 21: Festival's End, and a Sweet Sixteen**_

Coming down to the Pokemon Center's lobby, Aura and Daniel had gotten quite a bit of stuff set up for that night; but a few minutes ago, someone had been sent to the room to inform Aura that the next round would be starting soon, and he needs to report to the stadium for the matchups.

As they approached the counter so Aura could pick up Prince, Dan thought back to the matches he saw on the TV upstairs, deciding they could at least watch some battles while they were decorating, "Kinda sucks that Diamond will be fighting on her birthday."

Aura looked over, Nurse Joy having gone to fetch the pokeball, "She's the one who wanted to compete," he leaned on the counter as they waited, "and I promised each of them a chance to battle, so I don't think she's too upset about it."

Nurse Joy returned with the Riolu's pokeball in her hands, and held it out for the trainer. Once Aura took the sphere, he gave a quick thanks to the pink haired woman, and they started walking to the large stadium's entrance. "But it is still her birthday; why wouldn't she want to spend it relaxing on the side, instead of getting hurt in a bunch of battles."

Aura shrugged, one hand in his jeans pocket, while the other was fiddling with the red and white sphere; he hummed a sound of uncertainty " _Mhmm_ , she didn't seem too bothered to me, so either she was more focused on the tournament, or she's hiding it really well." He set the ball in his belt as they passed through the glass doors, noticing a battle had just ended, "Guess we made it just in time."

As the winner of the battle was being announced, the two of them headed up to the others; and once Diamond caught sight of Aura walking up the stairs, she smiled and stood up, trying to look confident about the battle, although, Kibbs glanced over from Darlene's lap to see the Braixen's paw shaking a big "You feeling okay, hon?" She asked, catching the fox's attention.

For a second, Diamond wondered what the dog meant, but then she suddenly realized her paws were shaking, "Oh," she forced the shaking to stop, "yeah, I'm fine, just a bit of left over anxiety; I'll be fine."

As she said this, Aura and Dan had stepped up to the group, "You ready, Diamond?" Aura asked.

Taking a quick breath, she turned around and nodded, "Yeah, let's go."

Giving a nod in return, Aura let Diamond step in front of him, then they started walking back down to the field, hearing Gwen call out, " Good luck," before they even made it down two steps.

* * *

"Now that the second round is over, we'll jump straight into the matchups for round three; please turn your attention to the overhead display to see who each of you will be against." Doing as the announcer said, Aura and Diamond looked up as the pictures began to shuffle, lining up across the board like they had in the past two rounds.

As the pictures stopped and flipped back over, a few cheers came from the audience; Diamond looked back a bit confused, "What's going on?"

"I don't know exactly, Diamond, but it looks like we're up first."

She looked back to the screen, "What?" Her gaze immediately crossing over to the first matchup, being a photo of Aura, and a trainer who looked a bit familiar She was going to ask Aura, but she didn't need to, as the announcer answered it before she got the chance.

"Look at that, folks, the first battle looks like it'll be a good one; Aura Borealis, the trainer who managed to turn the odds in his favour twice in a row; and John Winston, the trainer who's only needed to use Charmeleon to secure his spot in the third round; this might end up being one of the most exciting battles this tournament has ever seen."

Diamond looked around at the crowd of people, her paws shivering a bit out of nerves "Hey," she heard Aura say, "you gonna be alright?"

Taking a breath to calm herself, Diamond smiled up at her trainer, "Yeah, Aura, I'm alright."

Nodding his head, Aura pat her back, "That's better. I'm glad you're trying ao hard to get over your shyness," he kneeled down, "but just in case, Diamond, I want you to remember something."

"O-oh?"

He set both hands on her shoulders, looking her deep in the eyes, "If we lose this battle, or any other battle, please don't feel sorry about it. Because like I said before, it just means we have room to improve; it's not the end after one loss, or even a hundred losses, look at it as the beginning, the start of a whole new goal."

Diamond couldn't help but smile, always loving when Aura talks so kindly, 'cause it reassures her that he does, and always will care for her. Setting a paw on his hand, she nodded her head, "Okay, Aura, I'll try."

"Thanks." He nodded his head and stood back up, leading Diamond to their side of the field when the announcer called him and John to get ready.

With much less hesitation than she thought she'd have, Diamond easily stepped forward, just repeating what Aura told her in her head. While John's Charmeleon stepped forward from his trainer's side, taking up a battle stance that honestly didn't help make things easier for Diamond, but she kept her focus on better things than how frightening her opponent looked.

With both pokemon on the field, their stats appeared on the overhead screen. "Are both trainers ready?" The referee called, holding two flags in the air. After getting a nod from them both, he swung the flags back down, shouting, "Battle begin!"

 **-Battle Begin-**

Out of the gates, John ordered Charmeleon to attack,"Metal Claw," sending him forward with his claws glowing white, before becoming enveloped in a metallic coating of energy.

"Diamond! Block it with Cut!" Withdrawing her stick, Diamond swiftly swung it before her, enveloping it in a white glow, with a blade forming at the top to make it look like an actual sword, almost like a katana of sorts.

As the iron claws connected with the glowing blade, a few sparks flew from the contact, but Diamond managed to hold her ground, pushing back, and forcing Charmeleon to step away.

"Nice work, Diamond!" Aura shouted, Diamond keeping her stick up, but panting from the force pushed against her from the lizard's attack.

"Thanks, Aura… What's next?" She called back, waiting for Aura's command.

As Aura thought, John pointed towards the field, "Charmeleon, trap it with Fire Spin!" Taking a second to call back to his trainer in understanding, Charmeleon took in a deep breath, allowing the flames to build up and swirl inside, then letting loose the large spiraling inferno with a roar.

"Fire Spin too, Diamond!" Aura shouted, calling out the first command he could think of to defelct it.

Not even sheathing her stick, Diamond didn't create the swirling blaze like Charmeleon; rather her eyes glowed a faint hue of pink as she began to twirl her stick, the white energy around it turning red, before combusting into flames. With a high shout, the flames began to fly forward, spiraling with Diamond's stick, and connecting with their foe's attack.

Meeting in the middle, the flames caught into one another, creating a swirling spiral of red hot fire in the center of the field. "Just as I expected from two of the most skilled trainers we've seen so far!" The announcer boomed, shielding his eyes from the flickering flames, "Aura's Braixen seems too vigilant for John's Charmeleon's attacks, but it's still too early to say who'll win." He was right about that, as only two minutes had gone by since the battle began.

A few more seconds went by as the flames raged on, both pokemon unable to continue, and ending the enormous fire tornado. Diamond leaned over, as did Charmeleon, both panting from the attack.

Aura and Diamond could see John watching intensely, having no idea what he was planned; ironically, he didn't have much of a plan, just going with the flow of battle, and staring at his foe, wondering what Aura had planned too.

"Diamond, Psybeam!" The fox righted herself, gripping her stick tight as her eyes began to glow pink. She twirled the stick like a baton, the tip glowing pink with a ball of energy forming around it; then, after finishing the twirling, she thrust the tip towards her foe, blasting him with a beam of psychokinetic energy, but John was skilled enough to call out a command.

"You know what to do Charmeleon! Smokescreen!" Baring his sharp teeth, Charmeleon took a quick breath, breathing out a huge plume of smoke from his maw, with the psybeam entering it in seconds, but there was only silence.

"What happened? Did I get him?" Diamond asked herself, as she waited for the smoke to clear.

"I don't know, I didn't hear anything. Just keep your guard up!" Aura responded, a few people wondering why he was talking to his pokemon like that.

Another thirty seconds had gone by when the smoke finally cleared, and to many's surprise, all that was uncovered was a hole in the ground.

"Outstanding, Charmeleon was able to escape undetected within the shroud of smoke, and could be right under Braixen's feet without her or Aura knowing!"

"Shit... Stay focused, Diamond, we can't tell where he's going to pop up!"

"I know, Aura," she held her stick like a sword as she surveyed the ground, "we can't let him win."

As Diamond observed the ground below, Aura did as well, however, he swore he could feel something underground, _"What's this?"_ He thought, trying to focus more on the strange energy he felt, somewhat surprised when he could see the energy become visible, and it began taking the form of the lizard they were fighting, _"I don't know how I can sense it, but that's probably Charmeleon's aura, which means…"_ He watched it closely, and as it grew closer to Diamond, he called out, "Diamond! Jump to your left!"

She didn't even need to think about her actions, as she quickly followed her trainer's orders and jumped to her left, narrowly avoiding Charmeleon bursting from the ground.

Diamond landed a few feet away, watching Charmeleon shoot up into the air. He looked around, spotting Diamond standing at a safe distance, unharmed by his attack.

John was left speechless, but shook it away to regain his focus, "Charmeleon, dive at her with slash!"

Doing as his trainer said, Charmeleon adjusted himself in the air, then his claws glowed with white energy, before he dove down in Diamond's direction, slashing at her when he was close enough.

She skidded across the ground, landing on her belly a few yards away, "Diamond, are you alright?" Aura shouted.

She pushed herself off the ground, "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Good, but we have to watch Charmeleon closely."

She stood up and faced the lizard, "I know, Aura." She picked up her stick, once again holding it like a sword.

With six minutes left on the clock, John called to Charmeleon, "Charmeleon! Smokescreen again, but cover the whole field this time!" Just like before, Charmeleon took a deep breath, then unleashed a dark haze that shrouded the entire field, blocking Diamond's sight. "Now go in for the strike!"

Charmeleon rushed through the smoke, which happened to be thick enough to cover the light from his tail as he sprinted towards his target.

"Diamond, keep your guard up!"

Diamond lifted her stick, forming the white blade of energy around it, but that wasn't enough to stop their foe, who continued to rush towards her. "Now, Charmeleon! Attack!" Out of nowhere, Charmeleon suddenly burst from the smoke, speeding past Diamond, and slashing at her with his claws, knocking down some of her HP.

The assault repeated a few more times, Diamond being struck with a barrage of slashes and swipes as Charmeleon sped across the field, popping in and out of sight within seconds, the Braixen's HP dropping with each hit.

" _No, Diamond won't be able to take much more of this,"_ Aura thought, although, as he suddenly saw a red glow appear from within the smoke, he looked up at the status screen, noticing Diamond's attack increasing, "Wait a minute… that's her Blaze ability." Feeling a bit of hope, Aura swore his mind almost felt a little more clear, and he could think about his actions a little more; not only that, he could see two small flames within the smoke, each taking shape of the pokemon, "Aura Sight," he whispered, the sudden thought of what this ability was called. He shouted into the smoke, "Diamond! Surround yourself with Fire Spin, then use Light Screen!"

Thinking it was better than nothing, Diamond conjured a swirling cone of fire around her, then created a translucent bubble of psychic energy around herself, "Okay, Aura, what now?"

"Just wait," he said. Keeping track of both flames of energy. Seeing Charmeleon's aura drawing closer to Diamond, Aura shouted out, "Now, push out you Light Screen!"

Focusing her mind, Diamond extended her bubble of energy in a second, and in turn, pushing out the flames of her Fire Spin. As Charmeleon ran out of the smoke, he was met with a blast of hot fire, and was pushed back by the psychic force, which also dispelled the smoke around them.

Pushing himself off the ground, Charmeleon growled at the fox, who's body still flared with the energy of her ability. After standing straight, Charmeleon's body began to glow as well, letting out a roar as his red body burst into flames, his ability being triggered too.

With both Fire types under the effect of Blaze, and three minutes left on the clock, this battle would be over soon, and everyone knew it.

"We can't lose this, Charmeleon! Flamethrower!" John shouted.

"We won't show any weakness, Diamond! Flamethrower too!" Aura called.

As the two fire attacks sped forward, the shot past each other and connected with their targets. Shouts of pain could be heard from the blazing infernos, but it was all over within the minute.

Both pokemon dropped to the ground, their bodies covered in burns from the intensified Fire attacks.

Diamond could only hear muffled voices, and seeing the blurred form of Aura running to her side. She smiled, soon falling unconscious from exhaustion.

 **-Battle End-**

* * *

Slowly opening her eyes, Diamond groaned and rubbed her head, catching the attention of her trainer, "You okay Diamond?" He asked.

She sat up, realizing she was in a bed, "Yeah… What happened?"

"You took a lot of damage and blacked out, but Nurse Joy said you'd be fine after you woke up."

"Did we at least win?" She asked.

Aura rubbed his head, "Well, technically no, but neither did John."

"Oh… so we tied?" She asked, lowering her gaze to the floor.

Aura gently placed his finger under her chin, and lifted her head up to face him, showing his usual caring smile, "Hey now, you're not gonna get all mopey on me again, are you?"

Her sorrowful frown slowly turned into a small smile, Diamond giggle a bit as she pushed her mate's hand away, "No, I know we're not going to win every battle, besides, it's not the end of the world, right?"

Aura rubbed her head, "That's right, there's always gonna be more battles that'll come our way, and we're still new to our journey."

She chuckled, "Yeah."

Looking towards the clock, Aura noticed it was getting a little late in the afternoon, "Y'know, it kinda sucks this had to happen today of all days," he said, confusing Diamond a bit.

"Why's that?" She inquired, legitimately confused.

He looked at her with a smile, "Because it's your birthday," he told her.

She had a moment of realization, "Oh right, heh, I guess the tournament kinda made me forget."

Aura wrapped his arm around her in a hug, "Well, I didn't, and I have something special planned for tonight."

She looked at him with a large smile, "Really? Thanks, Aura."

"You're welcome, Diamond, I wanted to do something special for your first birthday with me, so we're gonna go out to eat tonight."

She nodded, "It sounds great, when do we leave?"

"We could leave soon if you'd like."

Without hesitation, Diamond moved the covers off herself, then climbed down from the bed, and followed her trainer out the door with excitement.

* * *

Sunset was slowly approaching, as the human pokemon couple walked down the streets of Camphrier Town.

"So, where're we going?" Diamond asked, her hand clasped warmly in Aura's.

"Well, since it's your birthday, I figured we'd go to a nice restaurant, but I'm just hoping we can find one that has nothing against pokemon."

As they continued to walk down the street, Aura spotted a nice looking establishment, and not a single sign saying pokemon weren't allowed could be seen om the premises; feeling it was a good start, he lead Diamond to the entrance, pushing open the door to see a man standing by the front desk, although he didn't look to happy.

"Sir, you're not allowed to bring your pokemon into the restaurant," he told them.

"But there wasn't any sign saying I couldn't bring her in," Aura defended.

The man didn't look too happy, "I don't care what you saw, either you put that thing in it's pokeball, or you leave, pick one."

Aura could feel a bit of anger rising, but knew lashing out in public wouldn't be good, "Listen, I just want to take my girlfriend out for her birthday."

The man looked disgusted, "You're one of those pokephiles, aren't you?" Unbeknownst to them both, an elder looking man was a short distance away, hearing every word of their conversation.

Diamond held her paws around Aura's hand tighter, "Aura, we could just go to a trainer cafe."

He shook his head, "Diamond, I want your birthday to be special," he looked back to the waiter, "and if we can't eat here, then we'll just find another place."

The man finally came up to the two, "What's going on here?" He asked.

The waiter scowled, "This pokephile and his pokemon are trying to eat here."

The man looked at Aura, though his face was actually very calm, "I see no problem with that."

The waiter looked confused, but most of all, pissed off, "What?! You can't seriously be telling me that you're letting this pokemon fucker into the restaurant!"

The man turned to face the waiter, but looked considerably more angry, "If that's how you feel, then you shouldn't be working here in my restaurant, seeing as I myself am in a relationship with my pokemon."

The waiter looked surprised, but quickly grew even more angry, "You know what, fine!" He took off his apron, "Then I quit." He tossed the man his apron, then stormed off through the restaurant, Aura and Diamond confused about what just happened.

The elder man turned to them, "I'm sorry for that, I guess he never got the memo that this restaurant chain is a high supporter for pokephilia, seeing as the owner is in love with his pokemon, as are most of the managers, such as myself," the man took two menus from the counter, "if you would still like to dine with us, I can lead you to your table."

Aura glanced down at Diamond, who sighed and gave a nod, "Okay, thank you."

The man nodded his head, "Well then, if you could please follow me, I'll take you to your table." The man lead Aura and Diamond through the restaurant, seating them in a booth on the far side of the room. After the young couple was seated, the man set down the menus, "I'm sorry about that waiter, he was new to the job, and I suppose he wasn't informed that this was a place for trainers and pokemon to dine together."

"It's fine," Aura waved his hand, "I just want to make Diamond's birthday special, since it's her first one with me."

The man smiled at the two, "Well then, I hope our food is to your liking, I'll go fetch a waiter to take your orders." The man left the two, going off to find a waiter to assist them further.

As Aura and Diamond sat together, the fox felt troubled by something, which didn't go unnoticed by her boyfriend, "Diamond? You okay?"

She sighed, "I was just thinking, is this what'll happen as long as we're together?" She asked, "Will you be hated just for us being in love?"

"Diamond, it's not that," he rubbed her cheek, "some people just don't like human pokemon relationships, mostly those who don't like pokemon at all, and wouldn't understand."

"But, why was he like that?"

Aura sighed, then looked to his girlfriend with a caring smile, "Diamond, you don't have to worry about what that man said, our relationship is perfectly fine, the pokemon league even supports these kinds of relationships, that's why they made the WPOS."

"WPOS?" Diamond repeated, never having heard that term before.

"It's a special function added to pokeballs specifically as a way to prove if the love between a pokemon and a human is true or not, but let's save that for another time, okay? I want tonight to be about you, and talking about it might not be the most 'appropriate' thing in public. How about I explain it all to you while we're back on the road?"

Diamond sighed, "Okay, Aura, I was just a bit worried that me loving you would cause problems."

Aura wrapped his arm around his girlfriend, "Never."

Out of the corner of his eye, Aura saw a woman walk up to them in a waitress uniform, "Good evening, are you ready to order?"

After ordering their food, it took maybe twenty minutes for it to arrive, and once they were ready to leave, the man from before had come to the table, carrying a white box in his hands, "I'm sorry for what happened earlier, he had no right to discriminate you for your life choices."

Aura waved it off, "It's fine, I just wanted Diamond's birthday to be a good one."

"Speaking of which," the man held out the white box, "I'd like for you to have this as an apology, and as a present from us."

Aura took the box and peeked inside, seeing a small birthday cake inside, "Oh, you don't have to-"

"Please," the man cut off, "take it, and I hope you'll come dine with us again."

Not really wanting to pass up a free cake, Aura closed the box and smiled, "Well, thank you, mister, and we'll be sure to come back again sometime."

The man bowed his head, "Please, call me Ricardo, and thank you for dining with us tonight."

After thanking Ricardo again, Aura paid the bill, and they were off to the Pokemon Center.

"Hey, Aura?" Diamond said, as they walked through the evening streets of Camphrier Town.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for today, I know it didn't start off as you hoped, but I still enjoyed myself."

He held the white box with one hand, and pulled Diamond closer with the other, "No problem, I'd do anything for you."

They continued down the street, and as they entered the Pokemon Center, Aura glanced over to Nurse Joy, who quickly picked up her phone and dialed a number.

The two ascended the stairs to the second floor, Aura unlocking the door to their room, and letting Diamond in before himself.

Once Aura flipped on the lights, Diamond jumped up as everyone shouted out "Surprise! Happy birthday!"

"Wait, what's going on?" Diamond asked.

Aura set down the small box, and walked up behind Diamond, "It's a party, for you."

Diamond looked around, streamers were hund from the walls, a few balloons were scattered about, and everyone wore colourful pointy hats. Diamond looked up to Aura, "What is all this?"

Aura chuckled as he explained to her, "It's a celebration; I wanted your first birthday with me to be special, this is why me and Dan had to leave for a while, so we could set up some decorations." Darlene came over, handing Aura two party hats, one for him and one for Diamond.

The fox continued to look around the room, having never seen a party like this before. Aura lead Diamond over to a chair, where he sat her down as Darlene brought over a cake, and after setting it in front of the fox, Aura had to give her a quick explanation as to what came next, and after she blew out the candles, Darlene took the cake back to the kitchen to begin cutting out slices.

As she did that, Aura grabbed two wrapped objects from next to the bed, "Here, Diamond, since it's your birthday, I got you a couple presents… I hope they're okay."

Diamond smiled, "Thank you, Aura." He set down the larger one first, letting Diamond unwrap the gift, and Aura was actually a bit surprised when Diamond looked overjoyed at the gift, being the cookbook he got a few days ago.

"Heh, I thought you wouldn't like the book too much, but I knew you wanted to learn more about cooking, so I got it for you." She held it against her chest, thanking Aura again. Next, Aura set down a smaller object, being around the same size as her necklace case, "I also had my mom and Kibbs help me pick out another gift."

As Diamond unwrapped it, a few tears could be seen coming to her eyes, "Aura… These are beautiful." She lifted the two Fire Stone earrings, already understanding the concept of jewlry after having her necklace for a while.

Darlene came back with a few plates in hand, "Here, dear, why don't I go help you put those on?" She suggested.

Diamond agreed, and followed Aura's mother into the bathroom, coming back out with the studs in her large ears. She went over to Aura, surprising him as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug, "Thank you, Aura, I love them."

He pat her head, "Of course, anything for you."

After that, the party continued on for a few hours.

* * *

With the party over, and everyone gone from their suite, Aura was cleaning up while he let Diamond sit on the sofa, looking over her new cookbook, even though she couldn't read what was written.

After putting the leftover cake in the fridge, Aura wiped his forehead, "Finally, everything's cleaned up and put away," he looked over to Diamond, "so, was your birthday okay? I hope what I got you was good enough."

She looked up from her book, smiling as she closed it, "Yeah, thanks for everything, Aura." She looked down at the book in her lap, then felt the small studs in her ears, before smiling at her trainer, her mind trailing back to their time in Lumiose City, "Actually, Aura, there is one other thing I'd kinda like to have for my birthday."

"Oh? what's that?" He asked, walking up to her.

Diamond set her book on the cushion, standing up to be at eye level with Aura, "I want my mate." She pushed her lips against his, catching him off guard, but he didn't complain.

After they pulled apart, Aura smiled at her, "What's gotten into you? Usually you'd be really shy when it came to this stuff."

She shrugged, stepping off the sofa and walking to the bed, "Don't know, it's just been a while since we were in Lumiose, and I want to be close to you agai like before." Diamond sat down on the bed.

Aura smirked at Diamond, "Well, I hope this kind of confidence stays." Aura approached the vixen, taking off his shirt as they prepared for a wonderful night together.

* * *

 **Sorry this took so long to get out, I've been really busy last week, and barely got any writing done, but what I'm hoping to do is focus more on this story, and yes, I know the end to this chapter wasn't the best, I was rushing to get it done, and I was thinking about adding a lemons scene, but it would have taken too long to get out, just like I'm rushing to write this AN, so I left it as is.**

 **Also, I want to let everyone know that chapters with a big battle, like gym battles, league battles, and very important battles, will take a lot longer to come out, as I want to make those ones better than the others I write, the same goes for lemons, but when I have a lemons scene planned at all, that chapter will probably take a bit longer. I do have two other stories however, A New Way of Living and Guild of the Burning Fox, but since I need to catch up with The Journey of Aura, those two will take longer to update; this doesn't mean they are going on hiatus, I'll just be focusing on other stuff.**

 **The next lemons scene is relatively close, and it's actually a very important one. Next chapter will be explaining the WPOS in more detail, but most of you probably already know what that is.  
**

 **If you like the story so far, you can show your support by** ** **favouriting** and ******following**. Got something you wanna say? Leave a review; I make sure to read all of them, and respond to any questions I receive in a "reviews" section on the next chapter. I enjoy interacting with my readers, and feedback is always helpful.  
**

 **Don't forget to check out my profile for more stories.  
**

 **That's all for now, thanks for reading.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Sorry for the long wait, I've been very distracted lately and haven't gotten much writing done. And I know I said this chapter would be when the WPOS is finally explained properly, but I got carried away with a few scenes. So next chapter is when the WPOS will actually be explained, and I hope to get it out before the end of the month, so it might be a bit short.**

 **I requested some help to try and clean up the first few chapters, there won't be any big changes but I thought I'd let everyone know.**

 **Also a bit of news that I'm quite proud of: I've finally learned how to properly use colons for the most part, though I'm still kinda getting the hang of it, so sorry if they look over-used and such, but I'm still learning a lot of stuff since they never taught this stuff in school.**

 **Anywho, since there hasn't been any reviews lately, let's jump right into the story.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 22: A Coming Danger**_

The distinct sounds of rushing water filled the Braixen's ears, stirring her from her blissful slumber as she slowly opened her eyes. She let out a quiet yawn as she sat up, but while shifting her legs to the edge of the bed, she groaned from how sore they felt from the 'activities' her and Aura had done that night.

A warm sensation came over Diamond as the fond memories of last night rushed into her mind, letting out a giggle as her mind wandered. Diamond scooched over to the edge of the bed, feeling just how sticky and matted the fur on her inner thigh and rump felt from the sex with her mate. So, knowing Aura wouldn't mind, Diamond got out of bed, stumbling a bit as she made her way to the bathroom to join her mate in the shower.

Hearing the bathroom door open and close, Aura had a pretty good idea as to who was now in the bathroom with him, even before he heard the voice of his mate echoing in the white room, "Would it be okay if I joined you?" Diamond asked.

Aura chuckled, thinking the answer was obvious, "You don't really need to ask, Diamond, whether you join me in the shower or not is completely up to you."

The shower curtain swished a bit as Diamond grabbed hold of it, soon sliding it to the side as she stepped into the tub, "Morning," she greeted, closing the curtain so water wouldn't splash across the floor.

Aura bent down to be at eye level with the short vixen, "And good morning to you too," he said, momentarily pressing his lips to her snout.

As much as Diamond enjoyed her lover's affection, she also really wanted to get herself cleaned up from their recent lovemaking. So, she reached up and placed her paw against Aura's chest, his scars still felt a bit strange to her, although they didn't really bother her much anymore.

With her eyes glued to his scars, she let out an audible sigh. Thinking Diamond was still worried, Aura did his best to reassure her. He gently took her wrist in his hand, "Diamond, it's been a month since it happened, so you don't have to worry about them anymore."

Surprising him, Diamond smiled and shook her head, gently pushing Aura back as she walked into the water, "It's not that: I actually kind of see them as a good thing now."

Aura tilted his head as he watched Diamond's fur flatten from the water, "Really? I was honestly expecting you to get upset over them."

She glanced back, taking a quick look at her mate's scars before facing away again, "Actually, they kinda remind me of how serious you were about that promise you made me," she grabbed the bottle of shampoo, "you risked your life to save Prince back then, and even though I didn't see it myself, the scars are proof enough."

Aura couldn't help but smile, feeling very proud of the fox, "You know what, Diamond, I'm really proud of you." This time it was her turn to be confused, facing him for a moment in question, "It's only been a month since we started our journey together, and already you've grown so much since then: you've not only pretty much conquered your fears and anxiety from back then, but you just act so much happier and less timid than you used to, not to mention you've been getting even more confident every day."

Her ears folded back as she blushed, "It's thanks to you that I'm like this now," she took a second to apply some shampoo to her palm, "without you, I probably never would have gotten over everything that happened." The entire time she spoke not once did her smile falter. Diamond pulled one of her red tufts to her front and started dragging her fingers through the soaked fur.

Obviousely unable to see her face, Aura assumed she'd feel bad, and he felt the need to comfort the small fox; however, just as he was about to reach out to her, he heard her let out a cute chuckle. Looking at her curiously, his hand hovered a few inches from her shoulder, "What's so funny?"

She sighed and stilled her arms, though kept her red tuft held at her chest as she continued to lightly chuckle, "Sorry, but I just find it a bit funny how you also kinda changed too." Still holding onto her fur, she turned to look at her mate, ignoring the confused look he gave her, "I remember every other time we bathed together, you were also really embarrassed."

Aura quickly turned his head, hoping to hide the all-too-obvious blush across his face, "W-well, yeah, it's natural to feel that way when showering with someone as hot as you…" In his flustered state, Aura hadn't realized what he said until he said it, with those words making him blush even brighter as he quickly tried to recover, "Wait-no, that came out wrong; what I mean is I wasn't used to being so exposed around you, I mean…" Aura suddenly paused when he felt Diamond's finger push against his lips.

While she looked up at her lover with a smile, the fur around her chest had clumped together from the water, and parted like curtains to expose the pink nubs on the small vixen's breasts. "It's okay, Aura, I know what you mean: it was a whole new thing for us both, and now I guess we're just more comfortable around each other than before…" Diamond quickly perked up in surprise as she felt something poke her belly, looking down only to blush as she noticed Aura's member erect.

She looked back up to see Aura's face an even brighter hue than hers, "S-sorry, Diamond, I-I didn't mean to…" Yet again Diamond left Aura confused, as she merely giggled.

"Sorry, hon, but we don't have time for that right now," she pat his chest before returning to cleaning herself, "we still have to buy supplies for our trip, maybe next time."

Aura stood dumbfounded, he knew Diamond's confidence had grown a lot, but he didn't think she had improved _that_ much. Still utterly confused, Aura just sighed and began to clean himself off, having decided to wait for Diamond since he figured she'd join him anyways when she woke up.

* * *

With their things packed and ready to go, the couple stepped into the hallway of the PokeCenter's second floor. Diamond stood by with her pink backpack hung from her shoulders as she watched Aura lock the door.

Once the door was locked and Aura reached down to pick up his bag, Diamond started making her way down the hall towards the stairs, although, Aura caught her by the shoulder and stopped her. "Hold on, Diamond, we might as well check on the others before heading down."

The fox turned around, "Why? I thought we were going to wait for them all downstairs?" She inquired, scratching her cheek.

"We are, I just figured we might as well see if everyone's up and when they'd be ready to leave." Aura turned and ushered Diamond to follow, though she was still confused and asked again about why he chose to do this.

"I still don't really get why we need to check on them."

They stepped in front of the door to Dan's room, but Aura decided to answer Diamond's question before knocking, "What if any of them are still sleeping? Or maybe having trouble with something? I'd rather get an idea of how long we'd have to wait for the others." He faced the door and gave it a quick knock, "Dan? You up yet?" He called, though made sure his voice wasn't too loud to avoid disturbing others. Aura waited a moment but heard nothing from inside the room. He gave another quick knock, though just slightly louder than before, "Dan? You up?" He repeated a bit louder, but still made sure not to disturb others.

After waiting a bit longer, the only response they got was still silence, "Maybe he went downstairs already?" Diamond suggested.

Aura shrugged, "Looks like it, but we still got my mom's and Gwen's rooms to check." He turned down the hall again with Diamond following behind. They checked Gwen's room next, getting the same results as they had from Dan's, before going down a couple more doors to Darlene's room.

Aura knocked on the door, calling to see if either of them were up yet. Almost right after calling out, a voice came from inside, "Just a minute." The voice was muffled by the walls, but it was easily distinguished as Kibbs'.

There was a few seconds of silence before a quiet thud and loud yip were heard from within, both of which were soon followed by Kibbs letting out a muffled, yet clearly agitated, "Son of a bitch!" Aura was about to knock again, but stopped when he heard Kibbs call out all of a sudden, "I'm alright, Darlene, a chair just fell on my tail…" There was another pause before Kibbs called out again, "Gibb meh ah minuhd!" She shouted, sounding like there was something in her mouth. A few more seconds passed before Aura and Diamond heard a clunk by the door, followed by a quiet click. "Okay, it's open."

Aura looked at Diamond for a second before opening the door, seeing one chair toppled over in the middle of the room, and another right by the door with the Growlithe sitting on top. They could also hear the shower running in the bathroom, as well as Darlene calling out from within, "Who was at the door?"

Kibbs sighed, "It's just Aura and Diamond," she called back, jumping onto the couch.

There was a pause, then they heard the water shut off, "Alright, I'll be out in a minute."

The dog rolled her eyes, "About time, considering you've been in there for nearly half an hour," she mumbled. Turning her attention to the other two, she smiled, "Sorry we weren't down sooner, Darlene slept late and didn't get up until about forty minutes ago, most of which she spent in the shower: I'm just glad they don't charge us extra for the water bill."

Aura awkwardly chuckled, shifting his gaze to the side a bit, "Heh, yeah, that would be a problem." Kibbs squinted her eyes at him, though her attention was drawn behind her when the bathroom door unlocked and opened, Darlene walking out in only a towel. Aura immediately looked away and covered his eyes. Even though Darlene was completely covered, Aura still didn't feel too comfortable seeing his mother like that.

As Darlene went to retrieve some clothes, she glanced over and smiled at the young couple, "Morning, you two, I hope you both got a good sleep." Diamond blushed a bit as she remembered last night. "I just need to get dressed, then we can head downstairs." Darlene picked up some jeans and a shirt and re-entered the bathroom.

"Yeah, please do," Aura exclaimed, still looking away. Once he heard the bathroom door close, he uncovered his eyes and sighed.

"What was that about?" Diamond asked, not exactly understanding her mate's actions.

Aura was going to answer, but Kibbs beat him to it, "Well, most human males don't exactly like to see their mothers being half-naked."

The trainer in question sighed, "Yeah... it's not exactly a fun sight for me."

The door to the bathroom opened again with Darlene coming out fully clothed, "Alright, Kibbs and I packed up our stuff last night, so we should be just about ready to get going." She walked over to the downed chair in the middle of the room, "Why don't you two go ahead, we should be down in a bit." Darlene set the chair back by the table, going to do the same with the other.

"Okay, I just thought we'd come see when you two'd be ready. Come on, Diamond." Aura and Diamond stood up and headed to the door, exiting back into the hall and walking down to the lobby.

As they reached the first floor, they spent a few minutes looking for the other two, "Y'know, Aura, I never realy took in how big these places really were, I mean look at this place." Diamond extended her arm and slowly dragged it through the air, pointing at the general area around them.

Aura looked around the expansive lobby as well, for the most part seeing small shops and cafe's like it were a mini mall, even seeing a few signs mentioning stuff like tennis courts and indoor pools, "Huh, you've got a point there, the other Centers we stayed in were pretty big, but this one actually seems kind of bigger."

"Maybe it's because of the stuff around Camphrier Town," they heard someone say behind them. Aura and Diamond turned to see Dan and Gwen standing next to each other, Kelly sitting happily by her trainer's side.

Aura took another quick look around while Diamond jogged over to Kelly, "Kind of makes sense since they have the festival."

"Oh it's much more than just the festival, Aura," Gwen exclaimed, pulling out a similar device to Dan's, although this one was a dark pink instead of yellow, "Not only does the festival bring in a lot of trainers, but this is also the nearest town to the Battle Chateau; well, without having to pass through a cave at least."

Aura looked at her dumbfounded. "Gwen," Dan tapped her shoulder, "Aura only moved to Kalos a few months ago, he never even knew about the festival until we got to town."

Gwen looked to Aura as he shrugged, "Yeah, I used to live in Johto, but we moved here so I could start my journey earlier, although I wasn't expecting it to be so much more than just a normal journey," he glanced at Diamond talking with Kelly, "but I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Are you all ready to go?" They all turned to see Darlene and Kibbs walking up to them, the tall woman hauling a large travelcase behind her.

"Yeah, we just need to pick up some stuff before heading out." Aura took a slip of paper from his pocket and began reading off a few items, "We need to restock on mostly food, but we might as well get a couple other things while we're here." Aura stuffed the slip of paper back into his pocket.

Darlene looked up at the clock on the wall, "Well then we'd better get going, Kibbs and I have to be at the train station by three to catch our ride home."

"I'd better be on my way too," Gwen held up a pokeball, "my mom and dad are actually at the Parfum Palace for some business, so they wanted me to head there after the tournament."

Aura nodded, "Well, it was nice seeing you again, I hope we meet up again soon."

"Thanks, Aura, it was nice seeing you guys again too, since our last meeting was pretty brief. Come on, Kelly, we gotta go." Kelly and Diamond exchanged a quick goodbye before the dog was returned and Gwen headed out.

And with that, they all left the Pokemon Center, Gwen heading to the west gate, while the others went into town to do their shopping.

While walking around one of the shops, Aura and Diamond were on the search for a few more ingredients before leaving town, but something on a shelf they passed caught the fox's attention. "Hey, Aura, what are these things?"

The trainer came up behind her, seeing multiple boxes with an assortment of colourful treats inside, "Huh, I didn't know they sold this kind of stuff here." He picked up one of the boxes labeled 'Poffins'.

"What are they?" Diamond repeated.

He turned the front of the box towards her, pointing at the label as he explained, "These are called poffins, which I guess are almost like pokepuffs, but without the icing and they use somewhat different ingredients."

She looked back to the shelf, "Do you think we could get a box?" She asked, looking back up to Aura.

He shrugged, "Sure, who knows when we'd find some again."

As Aura took one more box and stacked it atop the other, Diamond was a bit curious about that, "What do you mean?"

"It's just that pokepuffs are usually pretty hard to find in any region other than Sinnoh, unless of course you special order them." Picking up just a few more things, they went to the till and checked out, quickly finding the others in the store before heading out.

Only a few minutes after stepping outside, a muffled jingle came from Darlene's pocket. "Hey, mom? What's that?" Aura inquired.

She sighed and pulled her phone from her pocket, "It's the alarm to say our train leaves in half an hour, so we gotta get going," she shut off the alarm and slipped the device back into her pocket, "it was good seeing you again, Aura, and meeting your friends as well."

"Hang on, we might as well come along to the station." Aura lifted the hem of his shirt a bit, revealing the three pokeballs clipped to his belt, only two of which were currently in use, the front one being empty as it was Diamond's ball. "Plus these guys might wanna say bye too."

"I'm fine with that, but we should go then so we have time." Aura dropped his shirt and they all followed Darlene to the train station.

Upon arrival, they saw how packed it was in there, "Wow, I didn't realize there was this many people here for the festival," Aura pointed out, "stay close, Diamond, we don't want you to get lost."

"Okay." She quickly took hold of Aura's hand as they followed close behind the others, eventually arriving at the right platform.

Darlene and Kibbs turned to the others, "Well, this is it," Darlene said.

Aura unclipped the pokeballs of the other two and called them out, "Alright, guys, it's time for my mom and Kibbs to go home, so now's your chance to say bye."

Not really to anyone's surprise, the energetic electric type quickly spun around and smiled, "I can't wait 'til the next time we see each other."

Prince, on the other hand, was his usual chivalrous self and bowed politely, "It was a pleasure to meet you both, I hope we meet again in the future."

"So do I," Kibbs said, looking at the Riolu coyly with her right forleg risen just before her short muzzle. But yet again, everyone was too preoccupied to notice.

Darlene stepped up to Aura, "Make sure you take good care of the others, okay, Grand Guardian?" She told him, giving him a quick hug.

"Heh, yeah I'll make sure to do that." He returned the hug, "It was good to see you guys again, and I'll make sure to call more often."

He felt Darlene jerk back, "Oh, that's right." She pulled away and went to her case, "I got you something, Aura."

She pulled out a rectangular box from her bag and handed it to Aura, who quickly pulled off the top and pulled out what was inside, "A phone?" He said surprised, taking out the black cased device.

"Mh-hm, you never bothered to get a new one since you wanted to save your money for your journey, so I got this for you before we came here."

"Wow, thanks, mom." He set the new phone back in it's case for now.

"I made sure to put my number in already, and set it up with the trainer plan for you."

It wasn't long before they heard the train's horn boom, "We'd better get going, come on, Kibbs." The Growlithe followed her trainer onto the train, though as soon as she stepped on, she glanced back at Prince right before the doors shut tight and the train slowly pulled out of the station.

"Alright guys, I think we should head out next. It's gonna take a couple days to get to the next town," Aura said as the train finally left their sight, "You guys wanna travel outside of your balls for a while?" Prince and Stan nodded, "Okay, then let's go."

Making their way out of the train station, Diamond glanced back at where the train once was, "I'm gonna miss them."

Aura glanced down for a second, "Well, now that I actually have a phone, we don't have to wait until we're in town to call them."

"Speaking of," Dan turned to Aura, "what happened to your last phone?"

He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled, "Let's just say that Pikachu plus camera flash equals a bad night."

Dan caught on almost immediately, but the other three were a bit slow, "Wait, what do you mean by that?" Daimond asked.

Aura looked down at her, "I made the mistake of trying to take a Pikachu's picture a while back, but I forgot to turn off the flash and it shocked me. I came out perfectly fine for the most part, but my phone wasn't as lucky."

Diamond didn't know how she was supposed to feel about this, but she knew Aura had taken much worse, "So far this is the second time I've heard that you've been attacked by a pokemon, just please be more careful."

He rubbed his head, "Heh, yeah I promise."

* * *

The air was cool and humid, as should be expected when in the deepest caverns of a cave, with the rhythmic sound of water dripping from the rocky ceiling barely noticeable over the sounds of the many men and women in red suits lounging about.

The red-clad people had taken to a variety of ways to entertain themselves: some were gambling with others, some sat in silence polishing weapons and pokeballs, some were even taking naps to pass the time. However, there was a very small amount whom were fiddling about with what seemed like some kind of shadowing energy, though rather than the red suits everyone else was wearing, they wore eerie purple and black coats- robes even.

Near the back of the cave was a red tent, the man inside wearing a black suit with a red dress-shirt, a Flareon napping peacefully on a bed behind him. As the man removed the cigar from his teeth and picked up his wine glass, the flap of the tent quickly swung open, making the man jump and almost spill his drink.

Setting down his glass, he looked forward menacingly at the man in red, "What do you want?" He asked, less than endearing.

"Sorry, sir, but we just got word that he's on the move again."

Ashing his cigar, he leaned forward with his elbows on the table and his chin on his hands, "Good, how long will it be until he arrives? I'm tired of waiting for him."

"By our estimates, he should arrive in another day or so; however, with the incoming storm, it could possibly be longer." Sighing in irritation, the man in black stood up, a purple energy radiating from his right hand, "Uhm... Sir?"

He walked around the table, "You are aware this is a setback for us, correct?"

The other man gulped and nodded, "Y-yes, sir."

He stepped closer, his eyes glowing with the same ominous purple energy as his hand, "And you know this setback could have been easily avoided had you grunts not failed to capture him the first time, correct?"

The grunt grew even more nervous, "Uhm... y-yes?"

Stopping right in front of the grunt, the man suddenly snapped his hand around the grunt's neck and lifted him off the ground, the purple energy around his hand growing more intense as it spread across his body, "You saw what I had done to the other one upon your return to base, I thought seeing how the darkness consumed it's victims would urge you to not fail again, but I suppose we need another example," he moved his face closer, "and it looks like we have a volunteer."

Frantically grabbing at the hand around his throat, the grunt begged for mercy, "P-please, sir, we weren't expecting what happened."

The man ignored his pleading, stepping out of the tent with his hand still clasped around the grunt's throat. He walked into the center of the cave, calling for everyone's attention, "Listen up you low-lifes! It seems the failure in Lumiose City was more of a setback than we thought," he raised the grunt higher into the air, "we need the boy as soon as possible, so let this be another example as to what happens when you fail us!" The dark shadow grew in size, surrounding the grunt as he screamed in horror, begging for it to end.

" **Lucas! Enough of this!"**

The black energy quickly retracted, though the grunt already looked badly beaten and nearly half-dead. The man in black, Lucas, lowered the grunt's body and smirked, "What do you need?"

A similar purple energy began to swirl around a few feet in front of Lucas, taking the shape of a human, though was completely featureless, looking more like a shadow than anything. Many of the grunts in red began to hide from the mysterious figure, although the ones who wore the dark robes just came closer.

" **Why must you always result to killing your own men? We still need them to complete our mission easier."**

Lucas glanced at the unconscious body of the grunt, huffing to himself as he tossed him aside, "I apologize, but it was due to them that our plans have been postponed a few more days."

" **That does not matter, so long as you can capture him and bring him to me, then our plans will still go well enough."**

"I understand, Kyreon, we shall not fail in bringing him back."

* * *

 **The plot grows even thicker as more danger comes their way. Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I know it got a bit sloppy halfway in, but I was in a bit of a rush to get it done. I also figured I'd revisit the scar and Diamond's necklace since I've neglected to mention them at least every once in a while, though I might go back and add a few points to mention them for future readers.  
**

 **If you like the story so far, you can show your support by and . Got something you wanna say? Leave a review; I make sure to read all of them, and respond to any questions I receive in a "reviews" section on the next chapter. I enjoy interacting with my readers, and feedback is always helpful.**

 **Don't forget to check out my profile for more stories.**

 **That's all for now, thanks for reading.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed or low quality, I fell behind in writing and this chapter is only meant as a quick filler and explanation about the Willpower Override System, though those of you who've actually been reading from the start might have a general idea already about it, but it wasn't until I think around chapter 18 or 19 that I actually came up with a backstory to give a valid reason as to why the shut-down system was added.**

 **Anywho, I know I'm capable of better writing than this, but I just wanted to get this out fast so I could start working on the next chapter sooner, which is a chapter that's actually pretty important so I'll try making it at a better quality to make up for this one.**

 **I think I've rambled on long enough, let's get to the chapter. And remember, I appreciate feedback since I want to make sure my writing continues to improve, so don't be shy to let me know what you think of the story in a review.**

* * *

 **VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE! PLEASE READ!**

Chapters for all of my stories are going to most likely be coming out a lot slower for a while: First off, I'm going to be going back to school this fall, so that's going to take up a lot of my time since I want to actually graduate and go to college for writing; second, I also recently got a new computer and got steam, and because it's me, this is going to keep me extremely distracted for a while as well.

I didn't do a thorough edit of this chapter since I am kind of on a time crunch, but so far that's all for now. If there's ever an extended absence from me again, just check my profile because I will probably update it any time things are going to keep me from writing. So yeah, I might also be adding my Steam account on my profile and possibly some games I play. Anyways, I hope this chapter is good enough for now.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 23: Willpower Override System**_

Thunder boomed in the sky as dark clouds started rolling in, "Shit, that one looks really bad, we should find some place to stay the night." Aura looked over to Dan, already seeing him with his Town Map in his hands.

"One step ahead of you, and maybe you should recall Stan. No offense, but he might attract some unwanted lightning to us."

Aura nodded, "Right." He quickly unclipped Stan's ball and held it out, "Sorry buddy, but Dan's got a point."

The little Shinx looked in the sky, "I'm okay with that, I don't want to get you guys hurt."

"Thanks, I'll let you back out once we're clear." After returning Stan, Dan caught the others' attention.

"We're only a couple minutes from the Daycare, maybe we could ask to stay until the storm passes."

"Yeah, let's get going." Picking up the pace, the building of the Daycare coming into view as rain just started coming down. They hurried to the front door and quickly went inside, "That was close. You guys okay?"

Diamond set down her backpack and pulled out a towel, "Yeah, I'll be okay." She quickly started drying her fur, giving her necklace a quick wipe as well.

"It's only a little water, I should be fine as well," Prince added, holding up his arms as he looked at his dripping fur.

Aura pulled two towels from his bag, handing one over to Prince and using the other for himself, "That's good, let's just quickly dry off and see about asking the owners if we could stay for a bit."

"So long as you don't cause trouble, it should be alright." They turned to see a man standing by the counter: he looked to be in his early thirties, and wore a green cap and overalls with a blue t-shirt underneath.

"Sorry about barging in, we just wanted to get out of the rain," Aura explained, drying off his hair.

The man pushed off the counter and walked closer, "No problem, we're fine with people coming in since a lot of the time they're here to either pick up or drop off a pokemon." The man came forward, "My name's Kerry, the current owner of this Daycare."

As Aura was a bit busy helping his pokemon dry off, Dan introduced them all, "I'm Dan, the other trainer is Aura, and those are his pokemon, Diamond and Prince." He motioned to the Braixen and Riolu respectively.

"I also have a Shinx named Stan, though he's in his ball right now because of the storm," Aura pointed out, helping Diamond dry off, "Speaking of which, would it be alright if we stayed until the storm passed?"

"That's fine, we have some spare rooms that you can use."

"Thanks, Kerry, we hope it's only for tonight," Dan replied.

Out of nowhere, a small, white and brown figure rushed into the room, nearly tripping Kerry as it happily barked in greeting, "Linoone~!"

Kerry regained his footing and sighed, "Linia, I've told you to slow down when indoors." The Linoone looked back and lowered her head, letting out a sound of apology. "Just be more careful."

"Is that your partner?" Dan inquired.

Kerry glanced at the normal type, "Yeah, she's been with us for quite a few years."

There was a sudden crash of lightning, startling Diamond as she jumped up with a yip, narrowly missing her trainer's chin. "Whoa, Diamond, it's okay."

She sighed, "Sorry, just caught me off guard."

He rubbed her covered head, "Well we haven't exactly been caught in a storm like this until now."

Kerry went over to the window, "Yeah, it does seem pretty bad out there, doesn't it?"

"Thanks again for letting us stay here tonight, we wouldn't last a minute out there in a tent," Dan pointed out.

"It's no issue, why don't you all get changed into some dry clothes then join us for supper, my sis is a great cook."

Aura took the towels from his pokemon and folded them up, "Sounds good, thanks."

They followed Kerry down a hallway, noticing an archway leading into a kitchen where a black-haired woman was standing at the stove, a delicious smell wafting through as they passed. "Wow, that does smell great," Diamond complimented with a relaxed sigh.

"You've got that right, Diamond. Even though my nose isn't as good as yours, it still smells really good."

Kerry glanced back, "Your bond must be good if you can understand her so well. You must've been partners for a long time."

Aura sighed with a smirk on his lips, "Actually, we've only been together for a month, but I can just naturally understand pokemon."

"Really? Are you some kind of psychic then?"

"No, I'm actually an aura guardian. But it's nice to know we come off as so close, right, Diamond?" Him and Diamond looked at each other.

("Yeah, maybe it's because we're mates?") She replied, speaking through telepathy so Aura wouldn't have to translate.

"Mates?"

Aura looked forward, "That's not a problem, is it?" He inquired, a nearly unnoticeable bit of spite in his voice.

"Oh, no, it's not an issue. I'm aware of how it's become a normal thing since the WPOS was created a while back. Though I'd imagine dealing with the ones against it could be difficult."

Aura actually smirked, "It doesn't really bother me. I don't care how much they hate on me, but one hateful remark towards Diamond," he lifted his hand and conjured a blue flame, "let's just say it's not a good idea." He laughed and dispelled the flame.

Kerry nervously gulped, thinking of what the guardian could do to those unlucky enough to cross his path like that. "Well anyways, here're your rooms. Now I gotta go help my dad with the pokemon. I'll see you all later." As Kerry and Linia went back down the hall, Dan and Aura entered their rooms to change.

"Hey, Aura?" Diamond asked, sitting on the bed as Aura changed.

He slipped his shirt over his head, "Yeah, Diamond? What's up?"

"Remember you were going to tell me about pokemon-human relationships?"

"Yeah, and I assume you're gonna ask me to explain it?" She nodded, "Well, I think we have some time before supper, so I guess we can start now." Aura sat next to Diamond. "To start, not much can really be said about pokephilia other than it was never actually illegal, but majority were against it before the WPOS shut-down system was introduced."

"So what is that?"

"WPOS stands for Willpower Override System, and it's pretty much the core system in pokeballs. It restricts a portion of the pokemon's free will, giving the trainer more influence over them, but it still leaves the pokemon some free will so it can still have it's own thoughts and emotions."

"So, me, Stan, and Prince are all affected by this?"

Aura shook is head, "Yes and no: it does give me more influence over the other two, but so long as I don't exactly order them to do something, then they're pretty much acting on their own influence."

"What about me?"

Aura wrapped his arm around her, "That's where the shut-down system comes in. In the beginning you were under it's influence, but after we mated, the WPOS in your pokeball shut down."

"But I didn't really feel different after that."

"It might be because of how I treat you guys." She looked at him in question, "The way the WPOS affects the pokemon sort of depends on the trainer; since I want you guys to have your own opinions and feelings, the WPOS is virtually useless for you three because of this."

"I still don't really get it."

"Well, I think it was about ten or so years ago, pokephilia wasn't looked at as normal, but not everyone thought that way. There were three very famous trainers who actually loved their pokemon as more than just partners, and since so many have been negatively affected by discrimination for loving a pokemon, these three trainers did something that changed the world. It was in the Sinnoh region that it happened, the trainers had the league organize a special event for everyone to see, it was broadcasted over radio television on nearly every channel. The trainers stood on stage in front of everyone and admitted to being in love with their pokemon, of course almost everyone started to hate them, but they proved that it was mutual."

"So what did they do?" Diamond asked, getting into the story.

"The trainers sent out the pokemon they'd fallen in love with, making sure their pokeballs were in sight the entire time, and told them to tell the crowd that they _weren't_ in love with them, but they didn't say it; instead, they told everyone that they loved their trainers. Most people started saying that they must have ordered them to say that beforehand and nobody was convinced, but here's the twist, the trainers actually destroyed the pokeballs of their pokemon and told them to say they weren't together, but they still defended the fact they loved their trainers, even saying that simply breaking their pokeballs wouldn't change that fact, since without the pokeballs they were technically wild again and the WPOS was shut down for them. After that, some of the crowd members even came out and said they loved their pokemon as well, and eventually almost everyone in the crowd supported these trainers; although it did take a lot longer for most, with some not changing their minds at all. But even with the majority supporting pokephilia, the league wanted to make sure pokemon were safe, and a way to show that they weren't being forced. So that's why they created the shut-down system: when a captured pokemon mates with a human, whether it's consensual or not, the Willpower Override System shuts down immediately, restoring every last bit of free will the pokemon lost when it was captured and taking away the trainer's influence, though keeping it tied to the pokeball. They can't even be returned to it without the pokemon's consent."

"So, you wouldn't be able to return me to my ball unless I let you?"

"Exactly, though you also aren't forced to follow my commands, neither are the others, whether you guys follow my orders is up to you. But I guess my commands could have more affect depending on how I feel at the time, but I always try to give you guys the freedom a family member deserves."

Diamond leaned against her mate, "I still don't really understand a whole lot of what you just told me, but I'm glad you aren't like those other trainers."

"Well we have a long road ahead of us, so you could ask about this stuff again at any time."

They heard a knock on the door, "Hey you guys, Kerry says supper's ready."

"Thanks, Dan, we'll be right there." They heard Dan's footsteps go down the hall. "Come on, Diamond, let's get something to eat." Waiting for Diamond to follow, the two of them left their room and headed to eat.

* * *

With the morning sunlight shining down on the water-covered ground, it was finally time for them to get back on the road.

Aura and the others stepped outside to the front of the Daycare, turning back to see Kerry and Linia standing in the doorway. "Thanks for everything, Kerry. It was nice meeting you all."

The waved his hand, "Don't mention it, it was nice to have visitors, even if it was only for one stormy night." He leaned forward a bit and looked down the path to the cave up ahead, "If you're gonna be traveling to Ambrette Town then make sure to be careful, the cliffs are usually pretty muddy, but after a storm like that there's no telling what might happen."

Dan nodded, looking up from his Town Map, "Thanks, Kerry, we'll keep that in mind."

"That's good too hear. And good luck with your next gym, Aura."

"I appreciate it, we'll do our best." With their farewells out of the way, the three of them continued back on the road, even if it was a lot muddier than the day prior.

Dan glanced over to Aura for a minute, "So, did you remember to call your mom after supper last night?"

Aura pulled out his phone, "Yep, but I would've forgot to again if Diamond hadn't reminded me." The fox crossed her arms and nodded. "By the way, how long should it take to get to Ambrette Town?"

Nodding to himself and shutting his device, Dan looked over to Aura, "Connecting Cave should only take a few hours to pass through, so we should reach Ambrette town by tomorrow morning if not later tonight."

"Awesome, once we get there we can start training for the next gym, how's that sound, Diamond?"

The fox quickly nodded, "I'm looking forward to it."

With their spirits held high, they finally continue on their journey, although none of them were expecting what would arrive in the near future.

* * *

 **This chapter was almost completely written in one day, and I know I shouldn't do that but I am way behind in my writing since I went back to re-edit those earlier chapters a while back, but also that I haven't done much in the past two weeks.  
**

 **I'm also sorry for the long explanation on the WPOS, but I wanted to make sure it was clear about what it actually was.**

 **Anyways, if you like the story so far, you can show your support by and . Got something you wanna say? Leave a review; I make sure to read all of them, and respond to any questions I receive in a "reviews" section on the next chapter. I enjoy interacting with my readers, and feedback is always helpful.**

 **Don't forget to check out my profile for more stories.**

 **That's all for now, thanks for reading.  
**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey everyone, sorry for the long wait but stuff in real life was distracting me. For starters I have school so that takes some time, but before that I had gotten very distracted with other stuff like steam and I also had a lot of issues with writers block. So sorry if anything seems a bit off or I miss anything by mistake. I will continue to work on this and my other stories when I have time. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 24: From Bitter to Sweet**_

The sudden change of light burned their eyes as they stepped out of the dimly lit cave into the afternoon sunlight. Each of them lifted their hands to block out the sun as their eyes adjusted. "Damn that's bright!" Aura complained. He took out his phone to check the time, noticing his battery was almost dead as well. "Huh, we've been in that cave for about eight hours, so why is it still so bright out?"

Almost immediately after asking this to no one in particular, Aura had heard Diamond call to him in amazing awe. "Wow… Aura, you've gotta see this!"

Pocketing his phone and looking towards his mate, he waited for his eyes to adjust before seeing what had Diamond so excited. Walking up behind her, he stared off into the distance as the slowly sinking sun caused the shimmering ocean below to sparkle beautifully. "Whoa, I guess that explains it." They stood atop a lengthy plateau, looking out upon the ocean horizon, as the sun very slowly grew closer to sinking below the ocean. "Careful, Diamond. I don't want you to fall." Aura stepped towards the edge where his girlfriend stood, putting his hand on her shoulder and gently motioning her back a few steps.

She looked up at the human, an almost wishful look in her eyes before they returned to the setting sun, "Sorry, I've just never seen anything like this before."

"I can understand that, but I just don't want a repeat of what happened in Lumiose City." He looked over his shoulder, "Speaking of which. Dan, when do you think we'll reach the next town?"

The black-haired trainer chuckled, "If you haven't noticed, Aura, you can see Ambrette Town from here." Dan pointed along the path towards the distant rooftops of a town, "Judging by the distance I'd say we'd get there later tonight if we keep moving. But be careful, after a storm like the one yesterday these cliffs will probably be a bit unstable." Aura nodded and tapped the fox's shoulder, signalling her to follow closely as they traveled across the muddy plateau.

Aside from the partially unpleasant terrain, they were enjoying their time on the mountainous path, the ocean breeze was cool and calming, making the colourful flowers sway with a few pokemon relaxing within the waves of colour.

The group heard an aria of soft cries from overhead, looking up to see a flock of Drifloon and Drifblim slowly pass by along the calm wind. Lost in the relaxing quiet of nature, Aura began to silently think to himself, pondering whether they should try to get another member for their team. However, he was quickly brought back to reality when he heard Diamond let out a quick yip and fall against him, her white paws tightly clasped around his shirt as she hastily tried to avoid falling face-first into the mud. "Whoa, you okay there?"

With a quiet sigh, Diamond looked up to her mate, "Yeah, I'm okay. But could you help me? I'm stuck." Diamond looked to her feet, attempting to lift her leg which had sunk deep into the mud.

Adjusting himself to assist Diamond better, Aura instructed the fox not to move as he gently tapped the ground around him, making sure it was sturdy enough before making an attempt to free the Braixen. With one swift tug, he slowly managed to free the Braixen from her muddy shackle, placing her on a nearby stone. "There we go. Better?"

Looking at her mud covered paw, Diamond nodded with a sigh and a small smile, "Yeah, thanks for that..."

Diamond suddenly trailed off at she spotted something white hiding within the colourful waves behind her trainer, her ears perking up when a low growling resonated from the white mass before it quickly ran off through the flowers.

"Something up?" Aura asked, glancing behind him then back to the fox.

"I just thought I saw something, I think it was a pokemon."

Aura stood up, "Well if it was then we'd better stay on our toes. We can't say for sure what it wanted, but better safe than sorry." Glancing towards the setting sun and then to the town ahead, Aura let out a sigh, "Think you can wait until we get to town before cleaning your paw? There'd be no point if you end up sinking into the mud again." Diamond didn't argue, nodding in agreement before they continued on their way; keeping an eye out for whatever might be following them.

* * *

Nearly an hour had passed since Diamond had seen the white figure, and since then there hasn't been any signs of them being followed. The soothing sounds of nature left them feeling much more calm than before; however, the coming darkness still left them with a small bit of unnerve, fearing whatever might be following them would be shrouded in the darkness.

The small vixen shivered at the thought of them being in danger, glancing up to her mate's chest and thinking they might suffer from more than just scars if they get attacked.

Noticing Diamond's nervousness, Aura gently placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump a bit out of instinctual fear before quickly realizing it was only Aura's hand and relaxing. "It's gonna be alright, Diamond. If anything does attack us, I'm sure we can fend it off."

"I know, but I can't help it. I just feel uneasy knowing we might be in danger again, especially since we don't know what it is."

Aura pulled Diamond closer to his side, "I promise nothing will happen to you, let's just hurry to Ambrette Town so we can rest for the night, okay?" Diamond looked to the ground. She wanted to get to the Pokemon Center as fast as possible, and she knew being afraid wouldn't get them any closer.

With a sigh, Diamond looked back up to her mate, though before she could even mutter a word, they heard a twig snap in the thick foliage and watched as a four-legged figure suddenly leaped out at them, revealing itself to be an Absol. The moment it reached the peak of it's jump, the blade-like appendage on the side of it's head began to glow with a dark purple energy as it dove toward them.

As it drew closer to the group, a sudden flash of white light emerged from Aura's belt, arching to the ground in front of them with Prince soon coming into view. In one swift motion, the small Riolu raised his arms and steadied his feet, his fist glowing a bright orange hue as he swung it forwards. Both attacks collided into a flash of light and burst of smoke.

"Thanks for the help, Prince." The Riolu looked back to his master and nodded, though very quickly re-facing his foe with a focused gaze, not willing to let his guard down during a fight. Standing up, Aura stared at the Absol, "Why were you following us?!" He called, "We're just trying to-"

"Shut up!" The Absol barked, her voice filled with hatred, "I don't care what you have to say, human!" Without warning, a sphere of dark energy formed at the Absol's maw, and very soon it was sent rocketing towards the Riolu.

Prince leaped away before the Shadow Ball could make contact with him, creating an explosion of smoke where the Riolu once stood. The Absol growled again. Searing with anger, she opened her maw wide and began unleashing a barrage of Shadow Balls.

"Prince, Foresight!" The Riolu focused hard on the barrage, quickly dodging the attacks he could while countering others he couldn't dodge. A few rogue balls strayed past the Riolu and towards the other three, Aura just barely managing to create a wall of translucent energy to protect them, dispelling it only after the last ball had connected. "Why are you attacking us?" Aura shouted. The Absol leered at him with a scowl of true hate and malice.

The Absol bared her teeth as she snarled, "Grrrr-just shut up!" She barked violently, pouncing into the air as she prepared another attack, her blade-like horn glowing with the dark purple energy of Night Slash as she charged directly towards them.

Once again Prince jumped to intercept the attack, igniting a veil of fire around his leg while swinging it with heavy force directly at the Absol's head; successfully intercepting the attack and knocking her back.

Aura had had enough; he stepped forward and called to the Absol, "Look, just tell us why you're doing this! If something's wrong maybe we could help you!"

The anger and stress was catching up to the Absol, finally making her snap, "Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!" She forcefully shook her head and glared at them, "I don't want to hear your lies! Just die already!" With a vicious roar, the Absol seemingly split into multiple copies of herself, each charging forward tailed by a streak of white light.

With how fast the horde of Absol moved, there was very little time for the Riolu to react; having less than a second to find and intercept the real one before it could reach the others. Relying on his instincts and prior training, he quickly jumped to the left, diving towards one of the Absol with his paw glowing bright orange, positive this was the real one, only for it to disappear as the Force Palm connected. Suddenly the rest of the Absol vanished as well, the only one remaining charging right past him.

As the dark-type swiftly approached the others, Aura's eyes quickly flashed blue for a moment before he suddenly pushed them all to the side. The Absol's claws narrowly missing the guardian as she passed overhead and landed behind them, slipping on the muddy surface and tumbling to the ground.

"You guys alright?" Aura asked, standing up and helping Diamond to her feet.

Diamond nodded, "Yeah, but how did you do that?"

Aura shook his head, "I don't exactly know, but we can figure it out later. Right now though," Aura turned to face the Absol, "we need to deal with her." Aura began walking towards the fallen pokemon, watching as she struggled to her feet clearly out of breath from the short yet intense combat.

Once she noticed Aura walking towards her, she growled and stepped back, "Stay away from me, human!" She barked, inching closer to the edge.

"Listen, I don't want to hurt you, I just want to know why you attacked us."

She took another step back, "I said stay back!" She repeated, slamming her paw into the ground in an attempt to intimidate the human, though this quickly lead to disaster as the cliff below her quickly began to crumble away. Absol wasn't even given a chance to save herself as the fragile dirt and rock broke apart under her weight.

It only took a moment for her to realize this was her end, almost feeling a sense of relief as she felt gravity pull her down towards her death, and in her mind she knew she deserved it. However, she was quickly jerked back to reality as she felt something grasp her ankle, looking up in shock to see the human she had just attacked.

Aura let out a sigh as he firmly held onto Absol's leg, "Don't worry. I got you." He grunted, struggling to hold up the Pokemon's weight.

Absol stared up at the human, waves of anger and confusion thrashing within her mind as she dangled in the air.

"I'm going to pull you up now, I just need you to stay-" Aura was suddenly cut off as the ground below him began to give way, dropping both him and Absol off the edge.

"Aura!" Diamond cried, rushing towards the cliff. The others following close. The Braixen peered over the edge, seeing her mate and the Absol lying motionless on a narrow ledge. "Aura!" Diamond called again, afraid for the worst. Her fears were quickly pushed away as she saw the guardian's arm move as he pushed himself up, swaying a bit before looking up in a daze.

"You alright, Aura?" Dan called down, standing next to Diamond.

Aura shook his head, "Yeah I'm okay, just a bit sore." That was an understatement, his whole body coursed with pain, not enough to cause alarm, but he didn't want to worry the others. He looked to the Absol laying a few feet away, crawling over to her motionless body to check on her as well; feeling relief as he saw her breathing. Sighing quietly, Aura looked back up the cliff, "Hey, Dan! Don't worry about me right now, just take the others to Ambrette Town and see if you can get some help! I'll see if I can find a way up in the meantime!"

"Alright, I'll try to get help as soon as possible," Dan agreed, stepping away from the ledge, though Diamond stayed peering over the edge.

"Diamond, I want you to go with Dan. I have some food in my bag and Stan is still in his ball. I promise that I'll be at the Pokemon Center as soon as possible." She silently nodded, backing away from the cliff out of Aura's sight. Sighing to himself, Aura turned his attention back to the Absol, "Might as well see if she's okay." Inching towards the canine Aura began to examine her body. He didn't know as much about medicine as Dan, but Alice had taught him a few basic things during their visit, along with some of the easier aura healing methods.

Following the steps he had been taught, Aura started looking for any physical injuries, not finding anything severe. It wasn't until he gently touched her ankle that he got a reaction.

Absol's leg quickly flinched away, enticing a loud gasp of pain from the Absol as her eyes shot wide open. It took her a moment to register where she was, but as her eyes laid on the human next to her she stared for a moment before scowling and trying to stand, only to quickly drop back down with another gasp of pain. "What the hell do you think you were doing?!" She barked through gritted teeth.

Aura spoke with a calm voice and kept a bit of distance as he briefly explained. "Don't worry, I was just checking to see if you were hurt." Still in her angered state, Absol had not yet taken in the fact that the human could understand her.

"I don't care for your help! Just stay away from me!"

"You will care for my help if you don't want your leg to get worse!" Silence surrounded them for a short while as Absol thought about what the human had said; finally realizing he understood every word she said. Aura sighed, all too familiar with this delayed reaction, "Listen to me, I don't want to hurt you, I just want to help; so you're going to have to trust me for now okay?" Aura tried to reach for Absol's leg, only for her to pull it away.

"Just because you can understand me doesn't mean I trust you!" Once again Absol tried to stand, yelping and stumbling to the ground like before.

"See? You can't even walk so let me help you!" Absol growled at him and all Aura could do was sigh at her. "Look, I don't know why you hate humans so much, but I promise I'm only trying to help you." She didn't respond, growling quietly as she faced away. "Fine, I guess we have no choice but to wait here until help arrives." Aura slid his backpack off his shoulders and set it against a rock as he picked a pokeball from his belt, enlarging it and popping it open to release the electric feline within.

Stan emerged from the white light with his usual cheerful smile, though it quickly changed to confusion as the Shinx noticed they weren't in town. "Um, Aura? Where are we?" Stan took a moment to look around, seeing they were stranded on a cliff with a strange pokemon laying near the edge. The curious Shinx looked to his trainer in question, "What happened?"

Aura kneeled down and pat Stan's head, "I'll explain it to you while I make supper, okay?" The Shinx nodded, glancing back at the Absol curiously before following Aura to gather a few branches for a fire.

* * *

The automatic doors opened as the trio entered the Pokemon Center, Prince walking close to Diamond as the Braixen quietly held her paws together and faced the ground.

Behind the counter the pink-haired nurse smiled at them as they approached. "Good evening, how can I help you?" She asked.

"I'd like to rent a couple rooms for the night? One for me and the other for a friend." Dan said, already pulling out his trainer card.

"Certainly, one moment." Nurse Joy typed at her computer and Dan quickly swiped his card through the scanner. The light turned green and Nurse Joy brought up a pair of keys from under her desk. "Here you are, Mr. Sanlow." As the pink-haired nurse handed him the keys, she noticed the two pokemon standing behind him, "Um, is everything alright?" She asked.

Dan glanced over his shoulder at Diamond and Prince, "Kind of. We had a bit of an incident with an Absol on our way here and their trainer got stuck on a cliff. He's okay but he sent his pokemon with me to get help."

Nurse Joy sighed and rubbed her head a bit, "Oh dear. Not again." She looked up to the trainer. "We've actually had reports of an Absol attacking trainers over the past couple months. And normally they rarely attack humans unless they are threatened."

"So do you know why it's doing it?" Dan inquired.

She sighed again, "Absol aren't all that rare around here, we don't know the exact reason but it's assumed it's because of how many accidents happen on those cliffs. Since Absol often appear as a warning of something bad coming, I guess some decided to make their home here so people will be a bit more cautious. But since so many of them lived here it was only a matter of time before a special one would be found."

Dan blinked and looked at her in confusion, "What do you mean by special?" He paused, "Do you mean a shiny Absol?"

Nurse Joy nodded her head, "That's right. It may have taken years, but a while ago a young trainer had actually found a shiny Absol while on their journey. Of course this drew lots of attention to them and Route 8, and it wasn't long until trainers came looking for another one. It was around then that the reports started about an Absol attacking trainers."

"That sounds horrible." Dan took another quick glance behind him. "Thanks for the info, Nurse Joy, but I think I should take these two and get something to eat."

"Alright then. I'll let you know if anything comes up. Have a good night." Dan nodded his thanks and lead the other two up the stairs and to his room for now.

Once they were in the room, Dan walked into the kitchen while Prince lead Diamond over to the sofa. Dan set his bag on the kitchen counter and began pulling out some bowls and a couple plastic containers of food. "Hope they don't mind having leftovers tonight." He said under his breath. Taking one of the large pots supplied by the Pokemon Center and setting it atop the stove, Dan began emptying the plastic containers into the cookware, adding some extra water and a few extra ingredients before turning on the burner.

As their supper slowly cooked, Dan took his pokeballs and released his pokemon one by one. Once he let Missy out of her ball, however, he noticed the tired look in her eyes as she sat with a sickly posture. Dan quickly asked if she was alright, squatting down in front of her. Missy shook her head a bit. "I don't feel too well," she groaned.

"Hmm. Maybe whatever Aura did to heal you is wearing off? I'll have to talk to him about it when he gets here. Think you'll be okay until then?" The Sylveon nodded. "Good. You go rest while I finish supper."

As the Sylveon started to walk away Nessa spoke up, "Excuse me, Daniel. But where is Aura?"

Dan rubbed his head and began explaining what had happened. Meanwhile, over on the sofa Diamond quietly stared at her paws while Prince continued to comfort her. "Are you doing any better?" He asked.

Diamond simply sighed. "Yeah. I know he'll be fine, but I can't stop thinking something bad might happen."

"Diamond. You and I both know Master Aura is more than capable of taking care of himself until he is rescued." Prince said.

Diamond looked to the window, her ears folding back slightly in concern as she saw the glass become steadily covered in water. With another sigh, Diamond quietly watched the rain fall as she mumbled under her breath, "I really hope so."

* * *

Back on the cliff Aura and Stan sat next to a small fire, Absol lying on the edge away from them. "Y'know, Absol. You can come and join us at any time," Aura said to her, leaning against the rocky wall of the cliff. Absol just looked in the opposite direction and mumbled under her breath. Aura sighed, "Listen. I don't know what happened that made you hate humans so much, but I really do just want to help you."

Absol didn't budge, staring off towards the ocean in silence. Within her mind she couldn't for the life of her understand what was going on; why this human is so persistent on helping her, a wild pokemon. A sudden cold drop of liquid hit her nose, making her flinch back a bit before looking up at the dark sky.

From behind, Absol heard the human begin to call to her. She glanced back to see him and the Shinx huddled in a small alcove in the wall. As the human ushered her over, Absol once again ignored them and laid back down. It wasn't too long until she heard more talking and soon she heard a voice close behind her.

"You know, Aura is a really nice trainer." The Shinx said. Walking up next to Absol's side and sitting down.

"I don't care." Absol sneered under her breath.

There was a short silence before the Shinx spoke again. "My name's Stan by the way." Absol said nothing. "Can you tell me yours?" Still silence.

Stan looked towards the ocean, a bit saddened that Absol wouldn't talk to him.

"Why don't you just go back to your human?" Absol asked with resent.

"Because then you'd be alone." Stan responded. It was silent again for a short while until the small feline spoke again, "Why do you hate humans?"

Absol glared at him, but sighed and looked back to the ocean. "Humans killed my family."

Stan just stared at her for a few seconds. "I'm sorry that happened. But that doesn't mean all humans are bad."

"I don't care what you think. You don't know what it's like."

"Actually, I do." Absol glanced over. "I never knew my family because I was sold after I hatched. The trainer who bought me would always put me through painful battle training, but I was never good enough so they ended up abandoning me. After a while I was captured by another trainer, and another, and another. My whole life I felt miserable, until Aura saved me." This peeked Absol's attention. "My previous trainer was the worst I'd ever had. He always beat me after I lost a battle and almost killed me in the streets in front of everyone. But Aura stopped him and saved me. After that I finally felt happy."

Absol looked away and thought about what Stan had said. "That does sound like a rough life. Maybe… maybe I was wrong."

Stan set his paw to her side, "Everyone makes mistakes." He told her. The two sat in silence as the rain came down.

"Tia…"

Stan turned, "Huh?"

"My name… My name's Tia."

Stan smiled at her, about to speak again before a bright light and shouting interrupted him. "Hey! Is anyone down there?" Poking his head out Aura looked up and saw some officers peering over the edge. The officer up front turned for a moment then called back, "Okay. Sit tight and we'll get you back to safety."

Aura nodded, "Looks like we're finally getting out of here." He turned and saw Tia staring at the humans above them. "Hey don't worry. After you're patched up at the Pokemon Center you'll be free to go. I promise."

* * *

After they had been rescued, the police took Aura and Tia straight to the Pokemon Center where they now sat in one of the many medical rooms. Once they had both been checked for injuries and Tia's leg was tended to, they were left alone as Nurse Joy went to inform the others of their return.

"I'm glad you decided to accept our help, Tia." The Absol suddenly went wide eyed as she looked over at the human.

"How do you know my name?" She asked.

Aura glanced away, "I overheard you and Stan talking… I'm really sorry about your family." Aura's fist tightened, "I can't stand those kinds of people."

Tia glanced over, surprised when she saw clear hatred in the trainer's eyes, hatred she hadn't seen before. She didn't want to admit it, but Tia had actually began to find trust in this human, even if only a little.

The two looked at the door as they heard voices behind it with the door quickly opening and Diamond rushing in with everyone else in tow. "Aura, are you okay?" She asked, holding onto the trainer's arm.

"Don't worry about it, Diamond. I'm perfectly fine aside from a few bruises." He assure. "And thanks for sending help, Dan."

Dan waved his hand, "No problem. I'm willing to help anytime."

Aura nodded in response and looked at Tia, "By the way guys. This is Tia." The Absol suddenly jerked as she heard her name.

Diamond glanced over, not realizing the Absol was even in the room when she entered, too focused on seeing Aura to care. The trainer turned his attention back to his mate, though he was a bit taken back when he saw the fox glaring towards the examination table in the middle of the room. "Diamond? Are you-"

Diamond suddenly pushed off Aura's side and stormed off into the hallway. Tia didn't know why, but she felt guilty as she watched the Braixen storm off. About to say something, Tia stopped herself and just laid back down facing the other direction.

"I'm sorry, Tia." She glanced back at Aura, "Diamond isn't normally like this, but I'm sure she'll come around." He stood up, "I'd better go see how she's doing." With that, Aura stepped out into the hall and spotted the fox sitting on a bench.

Aura slowly approached her and sat down, "Diamond? Are you okay?" He asked.

"I-I don't know… I just felt angry after seeing her." She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees. "I'm sorry for storming off."

The trainer lovingly put his arm around her shoulders. "I can understand your anger. Tia did attack us and she had no reason to, but she has gone through a lot so we can't entirely blame her alone."

"What do you mean?" Diamond asked, looking up at her lover.

Aura wiped a tear from her eye, "When we were down there, I overheard Stan and Tia talking. Tia had lost her family to humans which is why she attacked. It doesn't mean what she did was right, but she was probably just scared and confused."

Diamond faced the wall, "So she lost her family too?"

"Yeah. But I think she's learned her mistake." They both sat in silence for a while longer. "How about you take tonight to calm down and think about this? Then tomorrow we'll see how Tia is doing. Okay?" Diamond nodded. "That's better." He stood up, "I'll go get the others, then we'll head upstairs for the night."

Getting a smile from the fox, Aura turned towards the room. "Aura?" He paused and looked over his shoulder. "I love you."

He smiled back, turning to kneel down at eye level. "I love you too, Diamond. I always will." After giving each other a quick kiss, Aura headed back to the room to fetch the others.

* * *

 **Finally this chapter is finished. I do apologize for the long wait but stuff has been getting in the way. Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. It may be a while before chapter 25 because I want to write the next chapters for my other stories as well.  
**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait and short chapter, I did have more planned but changed my mind last minute to move a certain scene to a later chapter, I have also been debating on some stuff that will be happening in later chapters, so I apologize if some stuff seems off at those times. Anywho, let's get on with the story.**

 **By the way, when you see chapters with no title like this one it pretty much just means that I couldn't come up with something, so instead of delaying a chapter just for that I'd rather have no title at all, although I may see about just getting suggestions after it is posted but I don't know.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 25**

As Aura began to awaken from his slumber, he felt the warm softness of his mate against his chest. He lovingly smiled at the peaceful sight of the fox curled in a fluffy ball with her back to his chest and her tail tightly in her sleeping grasp, making her look all the cuter. Letting out a yawn, Aura gently pulled his arm out from under Diamond and carefully got out of bed. Taking a second to stretch, Aura quickly put on a shirt before heading over to the kitchen to get started on breakfast.

Not long after he started cooking, Aura faintly heard Diamond get out of bed, the fox letting out a squeaky yawn and soon stumbling tiredly around the corner while rubbing her eyes.

"Morning, Diamond. Sleep well?" Aura asked as he poked the contents within the pan with a spatula.

The fox let out another yawn and smiled at him. She walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist, moaning happily as she pressed against his side. "What are you making?" She asked sniffing the air.

Aura chuckled. "You'll see. It shouldn't take too long so could you let the others out? I actually want to talk to you all about some stuff, and Dan should be coming over soon too."

Giving a quick yet groggy nod in response, Diamond made her way the nightstand on Aura's side of the bed and took the two pokeballs sitting atop the surface before bringing them to the middle of the room, awkwardly holding them out as if unsure what exactly she was supposed to do, having never actually used a pokeball before.

Staring at them for a moment, Diamond finally sighed and extended her arms with the pokeballs facing the sofa as she muttered quietly. Startled for a moment Diamond jumped as the spheres suddenly clicked open and sent out beams of light which quickly too the shapes of the others.

As the balls clicked shut Diamond let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and looked up with a slightly uneasy smile. The two pokemon standing on the sofa stretching with tired yawns as they were awakened. From the kitchen they could hear Aura say good morning as he portioned out the food he made on four separate plates before bringing them to the table two at a time. "Alright, come and eat." He called, "And after I need to talk with you guys about a few things." Nodding in understanding, they each sat at the table and started eating.

After finishing their meal Aura quickly took the dishes to the sink to wash later before sitting back down with the others. "So, what did you want to tell us?" Prince inquired.

"Well for starters, I spoke with Dan last night and we agreed to stay here for a few days while Tia is recovering. To be honest we're both a bit concerned and I don't think leaving so suddenly would help her trust issues at all. Hope that's okay with you three." They all looked at each other and nodded, letting the trainer know they agreed with him. "Thanks for understanding. Now, the other thing I wanted to mention is that since we'll be staying for a few days, this would be a great time to do some extra training before our next gym match." Aura took his phone from his pocket and turned it on. "After a bit of looking I found out that the Cyllage City Gym uses rock types." He looked at Diamond with a somewhat somber expression, "and I'm sorry, Diamond. But since you're weak to rock types it may be best for you to sit this one out if possible."

Although she felt a little disappointed, Diamond still understood his reasoning and agreed to Aura's plans without hesitation. "Don't worry about me. I'll be okay."

"That's good, but if you want you can still train with the others just in case." After receiving a nod of understanding, Aura continued. "That being said, Prince will help a lot since he has a type advantage, think you can handle that?" The Riolu nodded confidently. "Great. We'll be meeting up with Dan outside to do some training this morning, but first," Aura turned to Diamond again, "I'm thinking we go see how Tia's doing if you're up to it."

Diamond flinched, remembering her sudden outburst from the night before and hanging her head as the guilt caught up to her, although soon she felt the hand of her mate rest on her shoulder and she impulsively looked up at him, seeing him donning a kind smile as usual which did quick work at calming her nerves. Staring at him for a moment, Diamond glanced away for a moment before quietly muttering, "Actually, Aura. If it's okay with you, I'd like to do this on my own."

Impressed with her determination to improve, Aura looked down at her with an endearing grin, "If you really want to do this alone then it's fine with me." Aura reached over and took his pokeballs from where Diamond had set them down earlier and clipped them to his belt. "So, you guys ready to head down? Dan should be waiting for us by now." Receiving a collective agreement from the three, Aura stood from his chair and started towards the door, leading his team downstairs to the lobby.

On their way down, Diamond nervously fidget with her necklace, thinking about her encounter with Tia and how she wanted to apologize, as they reached the base of the stairs and made their way to the room Tia was in. "Hey, don't worry. Everything will be okay." Aura assured. "Me and the others will all be outside, so once you're finished you can come out and join us."

Finally stopping in front of Tia's room, Aura gave her another gentle pat on the shoulder as he once again reassured her it was going to be fine. Taking a breath, Diamond knocked on the door before hearing a muffled "come in." and slowly pushed the door open.

Gently shutting the door behind her, Diamond slowly approached the bed the Absol was lain upon before clearing her throat, "Uh… Hi." Diamond meekly greeted.

Looking over, Tia shyly glanced away when she realized it was only Diamond in the room with her. Taking a breath, Tia returned the greeting just as meekly as Diamond had.

With both clearly feeling awkward due to the guilt they each harbored, it took a while for one of them to finally speak up. "I'm sorry for how I acted last night." Diamond said, glancing away from Tia, "I was just… just."

"Pissed at me for attacking you?" Tia finished. Diamond looked up to see the Absol facing the floor with a guilty scowl. "You had every right to be upset. I was too thick to realize not all humans are as bad as the ones who took my family from me." Tia carefully turned over to face Diamond. "Looking back on what I did, I'm no better than the humans who killed my family." A few tears fell from the canine's eyes, "After what Stan had told me, and the way Aura was so kind despite what I'd done. I started to think that I've been wrong this whole time. That all humans were the exact same."

Hearing how sincere and regretful Tia's voice was, Diamond couldn't help but feel bad for her. Looking down and holding her necklace, Diamond sighed and spoke up. "Well, they're not all the same. Just like you I lost my family to bad humans, and of course I was terrified of them for a long time… Until Aura came into my life." Diamond sat in a chair and stared at the gem around her neck. Taking a deep breath, Diamond began to tell Tia how Aura changed her life, how he helped her overcome her fears, how he always treated her and the others as equals, and how he had risked his own life to save hers.

By the end of it all, small tears of joy ran down Diamond's cheeks as she stared down at her necklace with a wavering smile, reminiscing about her time with Aura thus far and the anticipation of what's yet to come.

Wiping away the tears in her eyes and taking a moment to compose herself, Diamond looked back at Tia with a kind and gentle smile. "I was thinking; why don't you come with us when you're healed?"

Tia stared at the fox in shock before somberly glancing away and stuttering. "I-I'm not sure what to say…"

Diamond walked over and placed her paw on Tia's shoulder, "I know it's sudden, but I don't want you to be alone like I was." She stepped back, "Aura said we'll be staying here for a few days, so at least think about it?"

Still looking away, Tia slowly nodded and muttered "okay." Diamond walked over to the door and stepped out, looking back and smiling at the Absol before closing the door and heading outside. Glancing towards the door, Tia looked around the empty room and sighed, cracking a very small smile as the Braixen's offer rest in her mind.

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 **Hope this short chapter is good enough for now, I hope to speed up the story a bit so I might have to sadly start cutting a few corners and shortening chapters.**

 **Also, I want to thank you all for 100 follows on this story. I know it doesn't seem like a big number but on a sight like this I feel it is an accomplishment, especially since this was my first ever story and the beginning was such poor quality. Anywho, thank you all for reading and I hope to get at least one more chapter out before the end of the year, the next chapter probably being a short one as well.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Sorry it took so long, I have been trying to write whenever I could but sadly I have been trapped at my mother's place for a while so it hasn't been as easy. In this chapter there is another battle scene but I don't think I did too well since I've pretty much decided that stuff like combat isn't exactly my strongest point, nor are lemons scenes, but I try my best to hopefully improve as I go. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless and look forward to the next chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 26: Revisit of a Rival**

After leaving the room where Tia resided, Diamond began heading out to the Pokemon Center's courtyard to meet up with the others, thinking to herself how thankful she was that the layout of each Pokemon Center was more or less the exact same as she located the back exit with little trouble.

The glass doors slid open as the fox approached, seeing a few trainers here and there with their pokemon as she looked for Aura and the others, quickly locating them at one of the far tables along the extensive patio. Not long after, Aura noticed her walking toward them and quickly stood up and waved her over.

"So how'd it go? Tia doing alright?" Aura asked as he rubbed the fox's head. Enjoying his touch, Diamond blushed faintly and glanced away while nodding slowly.

"It went alright." Diamond looked around Aura at the table, a few cups of water and a bowl of berries rest upon it, "I thought you'd be training?" She pointed out.

While feeding Missy a few slices of Oran berries, Dan looked over to them and began to explain, "Actually we did get a bit done. Aura wanted to hold off the serious training until you got here, so all we did were a few warm ups and were just taking a break."

"Yep. Speaking of, you want a drink or something before we start, Diamond?" Aura offered, taking the glass pitcher and pouring himself another glass of water. Diamond gladly nodded and sat down at the vacant chair next to Aura as he poured another glass of water and set it in front of her, and after giving her a few berries to snack on he started explaining the routine to Diamond.

Now refreshed and ready, they all stood from their seats and began heading out to one of the fields; however, as they made their way up the patio, Aura suddenly froze in his tracks when he heard a familiar voice speak from behind them. "Well look who the fuck it is! The pokephile and his sex slave!"

Aura's fists clenched tightly as he spun around with a glare met by the same trainer he fought back in Lumiose City, the one who nearly killed Stan, and this made his blood absolutely boil. Controlling his anger, Aura sneered "What the fuck do you want?!" with pure venom in his tone.

Taking a swig of the drink before him, Tyler stood up and stared Aura in the eye, "Don't think I didn't forget about last time!" He scowled, using his thumb to gesture to his cheek which had a scar running across it.

"If you expect me to feel sorry then don't count on it, you deserve way worse than that scar!" Aura growled.

With rising anger, Tyler stepped forward and shoved Aura back, "Don't act so high and mighty, bitch! It's about time I put you in your fucking place!" He shouted, unclipping a pokeball from his belt, "I challenge you to a battle! Right here right now! Or are you scared your pathetic team will lose?!" With tension rising rapidly, Aura could feel himself losing control of his temper. As Tyler continued to insult them, Diamond clearly felt the rage of not only herself, but of Aura as well, and it only kept getting worse.

Finally having enough of this, Diamond grabbed hold of Aura's hand, making the trainer look down as she stared up at him with a determined gaze. With a single nod, she felt Aura's rage slowly dimming as he locked eyes with Tyler. "Fine! If it'll get you to shut up we'll have a three round battle!"

Heading to the battlefield, both trainers stood on opposite ends as they prepared to face off. The commotion bringing in a large crowd of curious trainers who surrounded the area to witness the fight.

Tyler plucked one of the pokeballs from his belt and tossed it into the air, "Let's end this one quick!" He shouted as the red and white sphere burst open and unleashed a white energy that quickly took the form of a large dragon. Everyone stumbled as Druddigon's heavy landing caused the ground around him to shudder.

With Aura's team all lined up beside him, he asked them who wanted to go first. Before either Diamond or Prince could volunteer, Stan stepped forward bearing a strong scowl. "I won't let him talk down to me any more!" Smirking at the small feline's confidence, Aura faced forwards as Stan ran onto the field.

Taking it upon himself, Dan walked over to the edge of the field and raised his arms, "This will be a three round battle! After each round both trainers must switch pokemon, best of three wins!" Facing both sides, Dan took a breath and counted down, "Three! Two! One! Begin!"

"Charge in with Dragon Claw!" Tyler commanded. Crossing his arms, Druddigon's claws quickly began to glow before a bright green draconic energy enveloped them with the large dragon soon rushing forward with his claws poised to strike.

"Dodge it and use Flash!" Acting quickly, Stan leaped out of Druddigon's path as if avoiding a speeding train, and before the large reptile could correct himself, Stan let loose a blinding flash of light from the star on his tail that effectively left the much larger pokemon in a daze. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, Aura issued the command to attack. Stan readied himself to pounce, pushing off the ground and colliding head-first into the beast's side. The force of the impact caused Druddigon to fall to the ground, though Stan didn't fare much better as he hissed in pain.

Aura cringed as he mentally kicked himself for his ignorance, forgetting about Druddigon's Rough Skin as he watched Stan rub his head. "Gonna have to be more careful, but we don't really have many options here," Aura muttered.

Finally the effects of Flash started wearing off as Druddigon regained his vision. The moment he caught Stan in his sight, Druddigon let out a tremendous roar as he stormed towards him, his claws enveloped by the energy once more. And just as Druddigon was about to strike, Stan's body crackled with sparks as he quickly unleashed a flurry of flashing bolts across the field, many striking the dragon directly and stopping him in his tracks.

This lasted only for a few moments as Druddigon managed to shake off the paralysis and quickly began to scan the field for his foe. But before he could spot the much smaller pokemon, Stan collided with Druddigon once again, sending yet another massive pulse of electricity through the beast while also suffering some minor damage himself from Druddigon's rough scales.

As Druddigon's body was being enveloped in sparks, across the field Tyler shouted a command, "Grab that worthless Shinx and throw it!" Druddigon grit his teeth as he pushed through the electrical shock and grasped Stan's tail in his claws, the current ending as he forcefully yanked him away; then, in one swift motion Druddigon reeled his arm back and tossed Stan into the air. "Now Flamethrower!" Tyler ordered.

Druddigon leaned back as he took in air, then snapping forward to unleash a massive torrent of flames directly towards the falling feline, hitting him directly and dealing massive damage. As the flames ended, Stan fell to the ground with scorch marks and singed fur all over his body as he lay at Aura's feet unable to battle.

Sighing, Aura took his pokeball from his belt and returned Stan, "Thanks, buddy. You fought well."

"Looks like I was right all along," Tyler called while returning Druddigon, "that Shinx is worthless."

Aura's fists tightened as rage built up inside him, "Shut it! This isn't over yet!" He snapped.

Feeling a tug on his leg, Aura looked down at Prince to see the short pokemon nod with a determined gaze as he stepped onto the field.

Tyler grinned as he took another ball from his belt and tossed it into the air, "Go, Zangoose!" The ball popped open and released the cat-ferret pokemon within. "Start this off as usual, Zangoose!" Tyler called. Zangoose quickly began scraping it's claws together causing them to glow faintly before thrusting them forward and lunging at Prince with Quick Attack.

"Intercept it with Force Palm!" Prince's ear twitch as he heard Aura call out, a confident smirk plastering itself on the Riolu's face as he watched Zangoose closing in. Letting out a fierce cry, Zangoose quickly slashed at Prince the moment he was within reach, though it was nimbly evaded as Prince managed to duck down as Zangoose's claws passed above him. With a clear shot at his foe, Prince reeled back his paw as it began to glow a very faint blue and forced it against Zangoose's chest, sending a large blast of energy that launched Zangoose across the field.

Tyler growled with clenched fists as he watched his pokemon struggle to his feet, "I swear you'd better not lose this! Use Crush Claw!" Wobbling back and forth, Zangoose glared at Prince with a hideous snarl, his claws glowing with energy as he shot forward in another attempt to trike a hit. Prince continued to dodge swing after swing while Zangoose was clearly running out of energy to keep going.

Aura sighed at the sight of such struggle as he felt a little bad about how the pokemon was treated. "Let's finish this quick, Prince. Blaze Kick!" Enveloping his leg in a bright flame, Prince quickly kicked with the precision of a black belt and struck Zangoose directly in the chest, sending him back as he tumbled across the ground, completely unconscious.

As Tyler returned Zangoose, Prince had walked back to Aura's side, giving the guardian a nod as he stopped by his side. "Ready, Diamond?" Aura asked as he pat her shoulder. Quickly nodding, the fox stepped onto the field and drew her stick from her tail.

"You just got lucky! So don't think your damn Braixen is going to win this time!" Tyler swiftly tugged his final pokeball from his belt, "Go! Clauncher!" Hurling the ball into the air, it burst open with a bright flash as the small lobster pokemon within began to materialize onto the field.

"Be on your guard, Diamond. It may be small but it's still a water type," Aura mentioned. Diamond nodded whilst keeping her eyes on her foe.

After hearing the call to begin, Tyler was the first to issue a command yet again. "Water Pulse!"

"Light Screen!" Igniting her stick and raising it to the air, the flame changing from it's normal orange to a lavender hue as a pink bubble-like dome flashed around Diamond, protecting her from the incoming Water Pulse as it collided with the mystical shield and burst into vapor. Before their foes could attack again, Diamond dropped the protective veil and leaped into the air, her stick held high as the lavender flame grew bigger with psychic energy; soon being unleashed as Diamond aimed it at Clauncher and fired a bright pink beam of energy.

Hit by the powerful psychic attack, Clauncher was blasted across the field, landing at it's trainer's feet in a complete daze. "You'd better not lose this!" Tyler shouted as Clauncher weakly rose to it's feet, quickly shaking it's head to relieve the dizziness and raising it's large claw in a battle stance. "That's better. Now, use Aqua Jet!" Tensing it's body, Clauncher opened it's claw wide and enveloped itself within a thick veil of pounding water then began rocketing towards Diamond like a speeding torpedo.

"Dodge!" Aura called. Watching closely, Diamond quickly side-stepped the attack as Clauncher shot passed, barely grazing the fur on Diamond's tail; but it wasn't over yet. Coming back around, Clauncher aimed for Diamond once again, but as Diamond just barely managed to avoid the Aqua Jet, she wasn't prepared for Clauncher to use this opening to suddenly strike her back with it's powerful Crabhammer, forcing an excruciating pain through Diamond's spine and knocking her flat on the ground.

"Diamond! You alright?" Aura called out with concern. The Braixen weakly nodded as she pushed herself back up after that direct hit, however, she wouldn't be given any time to rest as she heard Aura's panicked voice shout to her again. "It's coming back around!" Looking over her shoulder, her eyes widened as Clauncher rapidly approached from above, giving Diamond barely enough time to drop down and roll to the side.

Although this maneuver did let her avoid the attack, Clauncher colliding with the ground had caused a small explosion of sorts that sent Diamond tumbling across the field. As the fox slowly pushed herself off the ground with trembling arms, the smoke from the impact had finally cleared to reveal the impact Clauncher made with the ground left the lobster in a similar state as Diamond, finally giving the fox a moment to rest as the two eyed each other down.

With the battle currently at a stand-still as the two pokemon caught their breath, it was clearly taking too long for Tyler as the impatient trainer shouted to his pokemon.

"Come on, Clauncher! One more water attack and that Braixen is done for! So hurry up and use Crabhammer!" Tensing it's small body, the lobster mustered up as much strength as it could before finally leaping into the air while a stream of glowing water spiraled around it's claw. "Finish this!"

With the battle nearing it's end and Diamond in danger of losing, she only had one chance to turn it around. Raising her stick with the orange flame flashing violet, she drew in enough energy for one final attack and fired off a bright pink beam of light directly at Clauncher. The Psybeam hit it's mark, almost halting Clauncher in the air as both pokemon pushed to overpower the other.

Aura's fists tightened as he watched Diamond struggling to keep up the fight, "You can do this, Diamond!" He shouted. Diamond's ears twitched as she focused on Aura's voice, filling her with determination as her body glowed a faint red as the flame on her stick grew in size. With one final push, the pink beam expanded and the physical struggle could be seen on Clauncher's face as it was being overpowered.

Finally, Clauncher couldn't hold on anymore and was engulfed by the psychic beam before falling to the ground unconscious.

With their newest victory, Aura ran over to Diamond and embraced her, "That was amazing, Diamond! I'm proud of you." He praised, quickly lifting her up as she rest against him.

"Thank you, Aura," she said quietly, feeling drained from the close battle.

Across the field, Tyler scoffed at Aura and quickly returned his pokemon before silently leaving the yard and entering the Pokemon Center. "Y'know," Aura started as he watched the trainer, "I can't help but feel a little bad for his pokemon."

"Not much we can really do though." They heard Dan say as he stopped by their side.

Aura let out a heavy sigh, "Yeah, I guess we'll just have to see what happens. Anyway," he paused, looking at Diamond, "we should get you guys healed up. I think we deserve a break for the rest of the day, maybe a trip to the aquarium as well. Sound good?"

Weakly returning his gaze, Diamond nodded and rest her head on his shoulder, quietly mumbling in agreement as Aura carried her back inside.

Once the doors closed behind the young guardian, a man seated at one of the nearby tables lowered the newspaper he was reading, a sharp grin covering his face as he set down the paper and quickly made his way towards a back fence as he tapped a device in his ear, whispering "He's here" before disappearing behind the fence.

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 **Sorry for the rushed ending, I know it took forever so I wanted to get it done as soon as possible. Anyway I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I hope you all continue to read as the story goes on.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hey everyone, I want to mention that I am trying out slightly different writing styles and methods. I am doing so partially because of what I have planned for the near future as well as to hopefully improve the quality of the story.**

 **Sorry for the long waits between chapters, there is a lot of IRL stuff going on that has been making it very hard to focus properly, plus I have not had much motivation. So if chapters are sloppy, I'm sorry but I am getting to a point where if I want to get them done then I'll have to resort to shorter chapters or less than ideal quality. I will do my best to make sure the quality isn't too bad, but I will probably be overlooking some things.**

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 **=Reviews=**

 **Timberwolfst:** To be honest I have thought about the Pokemon Centers serving food and such, so I decided that yes they serve food but the reason each suite has it's own small kitchen is because some trainers prefer to cook for themselves and their Pokemon. Pretty much everything else will most likely be explained in the story. Also, I have realized the lingering issue with Aura's name sounding odd in certain situations, but too late to change it now. This is one reason why I'll refer to "aura" as "energy" or other words.

* * *

 **Chapter 27: A battle in the Void**

It was nearing nine in the morning as Aura and Diamond were following a nurse to Tia's room. Earlier that morning another nurse had come by to inform Aura of Tia's rapidly improving condition.

They stopped in front of the door as the nurse unlocked it and turned to Aura. "Remember, she's recovered enough to walk on her own now, but please make sure she isn't on her feet too much for another few days. Okay?"

Aura nodded, "I'll make sure of it. Thanks."

"Of course. Have a nice day." With a small bow, the nurse walked back the way they came as Aura and Diamond entered the Absol's room.

Tia looked up at the sound of the door opening, giving a timid yet content smile as she saw the two of them. She sat up as Diamond came to the bedside while Aura calmly stood back with a smirk. "So, Tia. I heard you're doing better?"

The Absol shyly ducked her head, looking at her hind leg which was wrapped in a black splint. "Could be worse I suppose." She sighed, "So, what are you doing here?"

Aura stepped closer and gently pet her head. It felt a little odd to Tia, yet soothed her as well. "Well, since we heard that you've recovered enough to walk, we came to see if you wanted to join us all today."

She looked at the human as if asking for an explanation, which Diamond soon gave with a smile. "We're going to be taking the day off today, and since you've been cooped up in here for a while, we were hoping you'd also come for some fresh air."

Tia visually paused. She had already experienced Diamond and Aura's kindness, though it still came as a shock to her that anyone would be so friendly towards someone who attacked them with malicious intent. She felt touched, with a single tear building in her eye. Tia glanced away and nodded, "I… Yeah, I'd love to join you." She said.

"Great. Everyone else is outside waiting for us." Aura told her. Him and Diamond helped her off the bed and down the hall to the back doors of the Center.

As soon as they exit the building, the three headed to the table everyone else was sitting at with Tia shyly walking behind Aura.

"Hey. Hope you don't mind but we already started digging in." Dan said, popping a berry into his mouth.

Aura waved it off, "No big deal, I wouldn't have wanted to keep you all waiting."

Sitting on the wooden floor beneath the table, Stan paused with a mouthful of Pokemon Food as he spotted Tia, quickly swallowing and smiling at her. Seeing the small Shinx's kind smile made Tia feel a little better, giving a shy smile of her own.

"Here you go, Tia." They heard Aura say as he set down a bowl of food for the dark type.

"Uh… Th-thanks." She meekly said as Aura nodded and sat in his seat next to Diamond. Looking down at her bowl filled with a mixture of berries and Pokemon Food, she looked up as a pair of light-blue paws stopped next to the dish.

"I'm glad you came out here." Stan said, smiling at Tia. "I was getting a bit worried."

Tia felt flattered that, even after attacking them, they still somehow accepted her and cared for her well-being, although she still couldn't get over the guilt she felt. Feeling herself about to tear up from her emotions, she managed to push them back and respond with a small smile. "I'm glad I was invited." She quietly said.

Glancing down at her food, Tia hunched down to sniff it before taking one of the pieces into her mouth. It was delicious. Like nothing she had ever tasted before.

Seeing her face brighten up a little from the food, Stan looked back at his own bowl under the table and trotted over to it. With a little struggle Stan managed to pick up the bowl in his maw and carefully bring it back to Tia's side.

Setting down the bowl with a clunk, Stan smiled at Tia as the Absol looked at him, "Wanna eat together?" He asked, tilting his head cutely like a child asking permission.

Tia's smile grew slightly as she began to feel a bit more comfortable being around the small Shinx. Nodding her head, Tia watched Stan excitedly plop down next to her and take a bite of his food, soon looking back up at the occupied battlefields.

As the two sat in the warm sunlight watching trainers battling out on the fields, Tia felt a certain serenity that she hadn't felt in quite a while. The way everyone treated her like a close friend, she remembered the offer Diamond gave her the other day.

She looked back at Aura sitting at the table with Diamond by his side. Then she turned to the deck's edge to see Prince and Spyke sitting peacefully as the battles went on. Finally she looked at the Shinx sat beside her. Even when she was stubborn and rude towards him back on the cliff the night she attacked them, he acted kind and refused to leave her alone. And with Aura, she'd never have to feel that emptiness again.

With her mind made up, Tia let out a sigh and turned to face Aura. Clearing her throat, she opened her mouth to speak, but sadly nothing could come out before a booming explosion erupted nearby. Everyone covered their eyes as dirt blasted in every direction, shrouding the entire area in a plume of smoke.

"What the hell was that?!" Aura shouted, lowering his arm as the air cleared.

Standing not too far away was a single man wearing a long black cloak with his face hidden by a mysterious shadow that seemed to envelope his entire body. The man in black stepped forward, "Greetings, Grand Guardian!" He said in an ominous voice.

Aura quickly stood up from his seat and glared at the strange group. "Who are you? And what the hell do you want?!" He sneered.

The man laughed, "Who I am doesn't matter! I'm just here to bring you back to the boss!" He told him.

Able to clearly sense that things were getting dangerous, Diamond, Prince, and Stan all jumped in front of Aura ready to defend their trainer at any moment.

Rather than being intimidated by their efforts, the man simply grinned as if it were a big joke. "Tell you what. You can either come peacefully and spare your Pokemon the pain," the black energy around him intensified, "or I can take you by force!"

"We're not going to let some freak like you take Aura!" Diamond barked, swiftly unsheathing her stick and igniting it. Following Diamond's lead, Prince rose his fists while Stan began letting out sparks showing the two felt the same way as Diamond.

The wicked grin on the man's face grew even bigger. "You asked for it!" He laughed. Raising his hands from under his cloak, the man conjured a sphere of purple energy that soon burst into a wave of total darkness that quickly spread outwards. Despite the lack of light, it had left them all momentarily blinded as they heard the screams of terror abruptly stop with a sudden coldness engulfing them all.

Opening his eyes, Aura looked around in shock as the whole area seemed to be encased in some kind of black dome, every trainer and Pokemon trapped within seemingly frozen in time. Panic began to set in as Aura saw the motionless figures of his Pokemon before him, though somehow Diamond seemed unaffected as she glowed a very faint red.

"Diamond?"

The Braixen quickly turned around, almost tearing up as she noticed Aura was also somehow unaffected by the darkness. "Aura?" Even though she desperately wanted to jump into Aura's arms for comfort, she knew they were still in danger and did her best to stay strong. "What's going on?"

Aura shook his head, "I don't know." He told her, glancing down to see he was glowing as well, but rather than red his glow was blue. His neck snapped back to the strange man who was laughing maniacally. Aura's fists tightened with the blue energy growing brighter, "What the hell did you do?!"

The man in black stopped laughing with his sinister grin remaining, "I merely made sure that we are not interrupted, and that none shall see what will happen."

He lifted his hands with a dark shadow spreading across his body in a similar fashion to the glows emanating from Aura and Diamond. The two watched as black tendrils rose from the ground around him. As the man pushed his hands forward, the tendrils followed his movements and shot towards Aura and Diamond with great speed.

Aura didn't even have a chance to think as he felt a surge of power run though him, some kind of instinct taking over as he held his open hands in front of him with a blue barrier flashing into existence, successfully protecting him and Diamond as the tentacle-like appendages bashed into the shield and being pushed away.

"That was close," Aura whispered, glancing back as he remembered the others at the table.

As if reading his mind, the cloaked man laughed with the tendrils squirming by his sides. "You don't have to worry about me hurting anyone else. I'm only here for you!"

Despite being told this, Aura didn't want to take any chances. Diamond turned to him and nodded, seemingly thinking the same thing before the two of them quickly moved away from the deck and circled around to a more open space. The cloaked man watched them with an amused grin, finding their almost cliche attempt to keep others from danger laughable.

Now standing a safer distance from anyone else, Aura and Diamond eyed the man as he casually stood in place. His lack of movement left an unnerving feeling in Aura's gut, as if he was waiting for them to make the first move, causing the air to grow heavy with tension and anticipation.

With every passing second the air would feel colder and colder, now with each of their heavy breaths coming out as clouds of mist.

Finally, the cloaked man sighed defeatedly as he slowly pulled back his hood; his messy hair was a clean white with a blood-red streak on his left side, his menacing eyes were of separate colours with the right being a natural blue while the other almost glowing a dark purple. Across his left eye was a long scar that appeared to be fairly recent, running down his pale face from his brow to his cheek.

Sighing again, he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his cloak and placed one between his lips, "You know, I was kind of hoping you'd attack first so I could at least have some fun," he paused as he lifted his hand with a black flame forming on the tip of his finger, igniting the cigarette before taking a long drag and blowing out a thick cloud of smoke. He glanced at Aura with a casual smirk, "But I'd rather get this done before lunch." He said, setting the cigarette back between his lips and lifting his hand once more. With a quick snap of his fingers, a swarm of black vines erupted from the ground and shot towards the duo at blinding speeds.

As if controlled by some kind of instinct, Aura managed to conjure a clear blue barrier around them moments before the tendrils could strike. Despite his amazing reaction speed, Aura blinked confused as he stared at his hands. "What the…" His mind went back to their first encounter with Tia on the cliff, "It happened again?" He mumbled to himself.

"I'm impressed." Aura shook his head and looked up to the white-haired man as he exhaled another cloud of smoke, "I wasn't expecting you'd have that much control quite yet. Although, I guess it should be expected from the Grand Guardian." Snapping his fingers again, many more vines burst from the ground near Aura, each swiftly wrapping around him and leaving him motionless. Another massive vine rose up as well and fired off at the constrained Guardian.

Before it could reach him, a blast of scorching fire intercepted the tendril which quickly exploded into a dark mist. The strange man stepped back in surprise from seeing his attack so easily countered, momentarily losing his focus on Aura's bindings, giving the guardian just enough time to adjust himself and conjure a sword of pure energy in either hand, forcing the sharp blades outward and eventually cutting his way out of the bindings and landing safely on the ground.

Aura looked at Diamond and nodded, "Thanks for that." He said, receiving a determined nod from the vixen as she held her burning stick firmly in her paws.

The white-haired man scowled in anger with the shadowing energy around him growing in size, "You know, you're really starting to get on my nerves, Grand Guardian." He spat, dropping his cigarette in the dirt.

"Look, buddy. I don't know who you are, or why you're after me." Aura stood back up and readied his blades, "But if you dare threaten my friends, I won't hesitate to kill you!"

The man held out his hands, creating a pair of purple blades similar to Aura's in each hand. "Fine by me." He growled.

In the blink of an eye, the man suddenly vanished without a trace. Diamond looked around in confusion, but Aura could somehow feel the man's presence, and it was right above him.

Jumping out of the way, Aura watched the man hit the ground and kick up a large cloud of smoke from the impact. Not long after, the man jumped from the cloud and charged at Aura, his blades collided with Aura's and sent out a shower of blue and purple sparks.

As the two of them engaged swords and attempted to overpower the other, the white-haired man quickly adjusted his blades just enough to throw Aura off balance before suddenly turning around and slicing through a large jet of fire that Diamond had launched only moments earlier.

Diamond watched in shock as the man glared at her through the falling embers. Before she could even register what happened, the man threw his sword at her like a javelin, cutting through the flames and making a direct like for the Braixen's chest. Luckily though, only seconds away from piercing Diamond's chest, the blade was intercepted by a bright blue sphere and the two burst into a could of smoke.

The man immediately spun around on his heel with another sword materializing in his empty hand. He quickly lifted the blades just in time to block a powerful strike from Aura's weapons. "Nice try." He taunted, pushing Aura back and charging at him.

The two rapidly clashed swords in a series of furious swipes and slashes, each trying to land a powerful blow on the other. Although the two appeared to be almost perfectly even in terms of skill and power, the cloaked man obviously had more experience as he soon began to gain the upper hand, but not for long.

While the two continued their fighting, Diamond was preparing an attack of her own. Focusing the fire on her stick, Diamond unleashed another large plume of scorching fire directly at the cloaked man, forcing him to avoid it while unintentionally leaving himself wide open for a few short moments.

Unable to not take this chance to land a solid hit, Aura immediately dispelled his swords and created two spheres of energy in their place, instantly fusing them together into one and thrusting the condensed energy directly into the man's chest.

The massive concentration of the attack not only blasted the man meters away, sending him skidding across the ground and forced to stab his blades into the dirt to stop himself, but it had also burned a hole right through the front of his cloak, exposing what looked like a necklace with a hazy purple jewel hanging from a pitch-black chain.

The man scowled, "That does it! No more going easy!" He shouted. His eyes turned pitch black as the energy around him suddenly erupted like an intense flame, completely incinerating his black cloak to expose his scarred and bruised body.

"Kyaaah!" Diamond screamed. Aura snapped his head in her direction to see the fox floating in the air surrounded by a hazy purple glow. She continued to scream in absolute pain as her entire body felt like it were being crushed and broken.

Aura froze as he watched his partner writhe in agony, allowing the man to charge across the field and tackle Aura with the force of over a hundred raging Gyarados. Aura couldn't stop himself as he flew across the field towards the black barrier the man had created.

With how fast everything had happened, it wasn't until Aura felt himself collide with the barrier that he noticed a group of small children a few feet away, directly in the path he had traveled at near mach speed. However, not a single one of them had budged, in fact, they appeared to be somewhat transparent.

As Aura looked at the people around him, he noticed they all seemed partially transparent as well, as if everything around them were nothing but an illusion. Before Aura could push himself up and continue fighting, the man already stood above him. The man slammed his foot into Aura's chest, causing a loud cracking sound to come from the Guardian as he started to cough up blood.

Slowly looking up, he saw the white-haired man holding his hazy purple sword only an inch from Aura's face. "You're far more trouble than you're worth. If you weren't needed alive then I'd have slit your damn throat already!" The man lifted his other hand and snapped his fingers, creating another purple haze that instantly began to envelope Aura and lift him into the air, bringing Diamond closer so the two were side by side.

"Who are you?!" Aura snarled, "I swear if you dare do anything to hurt my friends!"

The man cut him off, "I'd rather not waste my power on _inferior_ beings!" he snapped back, glancing at the others still standing by the table. "And as for my name; well, you won't even be alive long enough to remember it!"

Suddenly Aura's body went completely numb before his vision became pitch black, the last thing he heard was Diamond scream his name before he fell unconscious.

* * *

Feeling returned to Diamonds body as she began to hear muffled voices around her. She groaned. The voices stopped for a moment as Diamond's eyes twitched and slowly began to open, her eyes taking a few seconds to adjust.

Blinking a few times, Diamond sat up and rest her paw against her head. Still in a daze, it took a minute for her to realize she was sitting on a narrow bed with everyone standing around her in a familiar looking room. Then she remembered.

Diamond shot up from the bed with the sheets flying off her chest as she frantically searched the room. "Where's Aura!?" She panicked.

Nessa rest her small hand on Diamond's arm, "I'm sorry, Diamond. But none of us know where he is. We were honestly hoping you would know." She told her wholeheartedly.

Tia's claws clinked against the metal frame of the bed as she somberly faced the floor, letting out a quiet sigh before facing Diamond. "All we know is that after that man showed up and used whatever dark powers he used to blind us, him and Aura were just gone! Like they'd somehow just vanished into thin air."

"N-no… This… This can't be happening!" Diamond's whole body trembled violently as her ears rang at a deafening pitch. "I have to find Aura!" She suddenly screamed. Diamond almost immediately jerked back with wide eyes as her vision became clouded and a strange feeling overcame her. It felt very familiar, yet so foreign to her. The blurred figure of a tall woman in white robes suddenly appeared in her sight, slowly nodding to the fox before vanishing just as abruptly. Although there were no words spoken, Diamond knew what the figure was trying to tell her as she began to sense an oddly familiar energy reaching out to her.

Diamond slowly blinked as her vision returned to normal. "Are you alright?" Prince asked, sensing a sudden spike of energy paired with Diamond's abrupt change in emotions.

The fox looked out the window, her eyes fixed on the nearby mountains as she nodded. "I know where he is." She muttered, facing the others with a determined gaze, "I know where they took Aura."

Everyone looked at each other, then back to the fox Pokemon. "What do you mean? How can you tell where he is?" Prince asked, everyone else wondering the same thing.

Diamond shook her head, "I don't know how, but I just know where he is," she looked back out the window, "I can feel it."

Before anyone could even say anything, Tia spoke up. "If you're going out there to find him, then I'm coming too!" Everyone looked at her as she continued, "Even after I attacked you guys, Aura still risked his life to save mine," she glanced back at her leg, "now I can't even bear the thought of losing him."

Stan flicked his tail side to side, feeling motivated from Tia's speech. "Me neither!" He said, "If Aura's in trouble, I'll risk my life to save him!"

Prince tightened his fists and nodded, "As would I." They all looked at Diamond, "So when do we leave?" Prince asked.

* * *

The four Pokemon stood at the entrance to a dark cave a few minutes away from town.

Diamond swallowed hard. Although everything that happened during the fight was nothing but a blur, she knew the potential danger that waited inside. She felt her fear start to set in as she peered into the darkness, but just the thought of Aura's life on the line outweighed her fear as she drew her stick from her tail and lit it ablaze. "Let's go." She said, stepping toward the opening.

Five minutes went by as the four of them made their way through the cave's tunnels. Diamond leading the way with the flame on her stick causing the walls to sparkle in the flickering light.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Prince asked, glancing down one of the dark corridors they passed by.

Diamond kept her gaze fixed ahead but still nodded.

From behind, Tia nudged Prince's shoulder to get his attention. "I'm sure she knows where we're going. We passed right through each fork without stopping and haven't reached a dead end yet." She said as if desperately trying to not come of as rude. Even if the others have accepted her, she still felt guilty for their first encounter and didn't want to make things worse.

Prince just sighed and glanced back. "You're right. I just worry about Master Aura." He told her honestly, momentarily dropping his stoic expression.

Diamond tightened her grip. She didn't want to admit it, but even she was beginning to doubt herself. She knew deep down that they were on the right track, but what if she was wrong. They all were relying on her to find Aura, but what if she couldn't?

As these thoughts bounced around her mind, she suddenly stopped in her tracks as she felt something. The others stopped behind her, though as it seemed nothing new was ahead of them, they all wondered why she suddenly stopped. Then they got their answer.

Out of no where, a flash of purple light appeared in the tunnel, immediately turning into a translucent purple wall directly between Diamond and the others. Diamond turned around and quickly slammed her paw against the barrier while the others did the same on the other side.

"What's going on?!" Diamond panicked, bashing her fist against the barrier.

Prince looked around the edges as Stan and Tia frantically bashed against the barrier as well. After none of their efforts made any progress, Tia stepped back and panted heavily, "It's no use!" She said. Tia walked up to the barrier and put her paw against it. "Diamond. You'll have to go without us!"

Everyone looked at her in panic, though soon Prince and Stan both nodded in agreement. "She's right. We can't waste our time sitting here while Master Aura is in danger. We'll just have to find another way around, if there is any."

Diamond thought for a second before nodding, "A-alright! But please hurry!" They all nodded before Diamond pushed off the wall and started running down the tunnel. _"I'm coming, Aura!"_ She thought to herself.

It didn't take long for her to spot a light coming up at the end of the tunnel. Being cautious, she quickly slowed down and sheathed her stick before quietly walking towards it, ending up in a massive cavern with lots of tents and supplies.

Her ears twitch as she heard someone speaking around a corner, so doing her best to not make a sound she snuck up to a large boulder and peered around it. What she saw made her heart sink.

In the center of the room stood a tall man in a black suit with a shorter man next to him wearing a white coat. But what got her attention the most, was the large purple dome they stood by. Inside the dome, Aura hung from it's ceiling by two glowing black chains connected to his wrists. Without warning, Aura began to let out painful shouts as his body glowed with a similar dark energy before returning to normal.

The tall man grinned wickedly as he watched Aura suffer. He let out a short chuckle as he casually pulled a cigar from his coat pocket along with a lighter. "It seems your help has arrived, Grand Guardian." He said, glancing back as Aura weakly lifted his head to see what he meant.

The moment the man flicked open his lighter, Diamond heard growling behind her but wasn't able to react quick enough as a Mega Houndoom pounced from the shadows and tackled the fox to the ground.

"Diamond!" Aura shouted, trying to pull himself off his restraints.

The man laughed to himself as he blew out a cloud of smoke. "Why don't you stay a while and enjoy the show?" Once again, Aura cried out in pain as his body was covered by the dark energy once more.

"Aura!" Diamond cried as she was forced to helplessly watch as another wave of energy covered Aura while he let out another shout of pure agony. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she dug her claws into the dirt, then she got an idea.

Diamond filled her paws with dirt and was about to attempt to blind the Houndoom for even a second, but it didn't work as the Houndoom noticed her paws and quickly moved his paws and slammed down on hers, making her scream in pain.

The Houndoom grunted with it's tail flicking side to side, "Nice try, bitch! But i'm not-GAAH!" Exhaling a spiraling flame at the ground, Diamond created a twister of fire and dirt just big enough to blast the Houndoom's eyes, giving her the chance to pull her hands out from under the Houndoom's paws and push him off her.

Hearing the commotion, the tall man turned around to see the Houndoom rubbing his eyes while Diamond swiftly drew her stick and created a glowing white blade, slashing at the Houndoom's eyes and cutting across them. But before she could land another hit on the Houndoom, it opened it's large mouth and fired off a Dark Pulse directly at her, sending her flying backwards into another boulder. "Just because I can't see, doesn't mean I can't find you another way!" The Houndoom snarled.

The tall man looked at Diamond with a cocky grin before walking up to her. She felt the man grab her neck and hoist her into the air. Diamond desperately clawed at his hand to try and break free but to no avail as the man slammed her back into the boulder with a sphere of black energy forming in his other hand.

Still trapped inside the barrier, Aura felt his stomach churn and his heart almost stop as he watched Diamond's eyes dilating with tears trailing down her cheeks.

" _I'll always be there for you."_ His voice echoed in his mind. "I promise." He muttered.

Time slowed as Aura's body became completely enveloped by a raging blue flame as a beam of blue light shot from Aura's chest, piercing through the barrier and connecting with Diamond's body as the faint red glow around her body slowly began to get brighter. The man was forced to drop her as his hand began to burn.

"What the hell is going on?!" He shouted.

Diamond's body gently floated in the air, her wounds quickly recovering and the pain subsiding. All of a sudden, the bright red light around her burst out before everything went white.

* * *

Aura's eyes slowly opened to find himself in a familiar large white room. It didn't take him very long to recognize it as he began scanning the room for Arceus, but instead of finding the Legendary Pokemon, he spotted Diamond lying on a clean white sofa fast asleep.

He rushed over to her and started to gently shake her, repeatedly saying her name.

Diamond groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, though as she saw Aura standing above her, a wave of worry and relief washed over her as she jumped up and wrapped her arms around him. "Aura!" She cried.

"It's alright, Diamond. I'm here for you. We're okay now." He told her. After a minute of holding each other, the two pulled apart so Aura could wipe away Diamond's tears.

The fox cautiously looked around, "Aura? Where are we?" She asked, curiously looking around at the massive room.

"The hall of origins." They heard a womanly voice echo.

Aura calmly turned around to finally see Arceus sitting upon her throne. Diamond, on the other hand, was frozen in shock from the sight of the Legendary Pokemon. "L-Lady Arceus?!" She whispered, Arceus nodding her head in response.

"I am sure you both have many questions about the events that recently occurred." She said.

Aura paused for a second. "I guess the first thing I wanna know is who those people were, and what did they want from me?"

"The ones you speak of are refered to as the Corrupted Guardians. Aura Guardians who have been overtaken by darkness. And as for what they want from you, well…"

"Yes?"

Arceus let out a sigh, "I'm sorry. But that is something I can not say."

This time Aura let out a sigh of his own, "I kind of figured as much. But could you at least tell me why there are some things you can't tell me?"

Arceus paused for a moment as she thought it over. "I suppose I can at least do that much. The reason I must withhold information, is the exact same thing that the Corrupted Guardians are after. But I promise you will learn the truth, it will just take time."

Although vague, Aura decided it was the best he'd get for now and chose to move on. "So what if the Corrupted Guardians come back?"

Arceus gave them a heartwarming smile, "I can see why you would worry, but I can promise you can rest easy knowing they can not risk doing anything to harm you for quite some time now, otherwise they could very well lose everything they hope to gain."

Aura actually let out a sigh of relief, "So I guess I'll have to use this time to train?" He asked.

Arceus shook her head, "Normally I would say yes, but you had most of your energy drained during the fight and as such you will not be able to use your abilities for a few days until it is replenished."

Diamond looked up at Aura worried, but he simply shrugged it off, "I guess that's all I have to ask for now."

Arceus closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh, "Very well. But there is one last thing before we part ways. And I am truly sorry for this but, to assure you both can rest easy, I must lock away your memory of your encounter with the Corrupted Guardians." She told them in a hurt tone, her voice slightly wavering as she went on. "I know it sounds rash, but I truly do not want you to relive that horrible experience ever again."

Aura watched Arceus turn her head, swearing he saw a tear fall from her eye.

"Alright." He said. "If that's what you need to do, then I won't complain."

Arceus blinked at him before slowly nodding. Suddenly both Aura and Diamond's vision became clouded as they began to feel themselves falling unconscious.

"I'm sorry, my child."

* * *

 **I had hoped to get this chapter out at least two weeks ago, but stuff got in the way so it was late. I know this chapter is a bit rough and quite different I feel from the chapters leading up to it, but as I stated at the start I am going to be doing some adjustments to my writing, the fight scenes for example. Considering what I have planned, the lack of actual danger and the threat of death wouldn't have fit very well if a majority of the story was all happy and safe. So I decided to include such things into the fights. Of course they won't be as serious during normal battles, but it does give more to other scenes.  
**

 **Anyway, I don't wanna keep this going for too long so I'll leave it at this. Thank you for reading and I hope to get the next chapter out as soon as possible.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hello everyone, the next couple chapters will most likely be much shorter and probably faster paced, so there may be a few errors I miss or some lower quality scenes. The reason I'm doing this is so I can actually get some progress with the story since I've fallen behind so much, and so I don't feel as stressed to reach the deadlines. So I hope to maybe get this and the next chapter out before the end of the month or close to it.**

 **Also, I will say that the way this chapter starts may be a bit confusing, but I tried my best to explain what I could. So I assume some of you will have questions by the end of this, but most of them should be answered in later chapters.**

 **And finally. This chapter is pretty uneventful for the most part, but there is a short lemons scene this chapter so there's that to look forward to. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 28: Heated Worries  
**

Walking along the moonlit beaches, Aura and the others had left Ambrette Town earlier that morning, having decided to stay in town one final day so they could reach Cyllage City by nightfall. The distance between the two seaside towns only taking about day on foot.

Leaning against Aura, Diamond tiredly dragged her feet across the sand. "Are we almost there?" She groaned. "I don't know how much longer I can walk."

Aura rubbed her shoulder with an amused grin as an idea crossed his mind. Adjusting Diamond's backpack that hung from his right forearm, he bent down and placed his left arm behind her knees while his other arm on her back, eliciting a small yip from the fox as he swiftly swept her off her feet into his arms.

"It's only a few more minutes away, so I'll just carry you until we get to the Pokemon Center, okay?" He said with a large grin on his face. However, he soon glanced over to the rest of his team walking beside them, particularly the newest member. "Speaking of which; how's your leg feeling, Tia?"

The Absol shyly glanced back at her leg with the splint still strapped on. "Better… thank you." She muttered.

After Aura and Diamond had woken up the day before back in Ambrette Town, Tia had finally decided to ask if she could join Aura's team. Of course everyone was happy to have her join, and she was overjoyed they accepted her; but even so, despite feeling more comfortable around them all, Tia still couldn't shake the guilt she felt from their first encounter.

Tia suddenly felt something bump her foreleg, looking down to see the little Shinx almost pouting at her, it actually looked quite cute in her oppinion. Stan didn't even need to say anything as he continued to cutely leer at her until a faint smile tugged at the dark type's lips. She had no idea why, but something about the little Shinx actually cheered her up.

Finally, after a few more minutes of walking, they arrived at the Cyllage City Pokemon Center. The inside was almost completely barren save for a man in pink clothes at the front desk, presumably the night worker, scrolling through his phone.

As the group approached the counter, the man took notice of them and put away his phone. "Welcome to the Pokemon Center. How can I help you?" He greeted.

"Could we rent a couple rooms please? Two single suites?" Aura asked, gently adjusting the snoozing Braixen in his arms.

The man nodded, looking at the computer for a second. "Of course. One moment please." He quickly typed something into the computer, hearing a quiet ping and turning back to the group. "Alright, I just need your names and you should be set."

Aura tilted his head, "What about our IDs?"

The man smirked as he explained. "We don't exactly require you to show us your physical ID, although normally it's the first thing we'd ask for. We're able to get all the information we need just by putting your name into the database. Besides, I don't think you'd be able to pull out your ID while holding holding your Pokemon." He laughed.

Aura glanced at Diamond, "I guess so."

With another nod, the man moved to the keyboard. Aura and Dan giving him their names while he typed. Although it may have taken a little longer, soon their Trainer IDs appeared on the screen. With everything in order and receiving the keys for their rooms, the group finally made their way upstairs to settle in for the night.

The door to Aura's room swung open as the trainer entered with his Pokemon, Diamond fast asleep in his arms. "Thanks for opening the door, Prince." He said, walking over to the large double bed while the Riolu shut the door, setting the room key atop the counter and walking towards the plush chair.

Aura carefully set Diamond on the bed, making sure he didn't set her down on top of her bag, which currently had the fox's stick poking out the top, having been removed from her tail earlier. He set down the pink bag against the side of the nightstand and began to quietly rummage through the small side pocket.

"What are you doing?" Tia asked in a hushed tone, not wanting to wake Diamond. Though Aura just glanced back and started to explain, not lowering his voice quite as much.

"I'm getting the case for Diamond's necklace. She usually takes it off herself but, on the odd time she falls asleep before we get to a Pokemon Center, or even before we set up camp." Aura pulled the black velvet case from the bag and set it on the nightstand, then gently tugging at Diamond's necklace, "I don't want her to accidentally choke herself with it, so I need to make sure it's put away safely."

Tia watched as Aura unlatched the chain around Diamond's neck and carefully set the necklace inside the case, slowly closing it to make sure it didn't snap shut.

With Diamond taken care of, it was time to take care of his other Pokemon. Aura walked over to the sofa and chairs by the TV and slipped off his bag, setting it on the coffee table as he pulled out a couple blankets for them along with a few pillows, setting them on the furniture for them to use.

It didn't take long for Stan to jump up onto the sofa and dig his way under the blanket, poking his head out by the pillow and shoving his face into it. "Soft~!" He purred, his tail swishing under the blanket.

Aura quietly laughed as he set up a smaller blanket and pillow on the chair for Prince. "Much appreciated, Master Aura." The canine said, climbing up and covering himself with the fabric.

Turning around, Aura paused when he noticed Tia lying on the floor, looking at the Absol confused. "Are you really going to sleep on the floor?" He asked. Tia looked up at him just as confused. She watched him gesture to the sofa with the small feline curled up and purring under the sheet, "There's plenty of room on the sofa for you both."

"Yeah! I'm not that big." Stan chimed in, poking his head up for a minute.

Tia looked at them unsure. They both returned her look until she finally stood up, "Sorry. I'm still just not used to all this." She said, gingerly placing one paw on the cushion as if it were going to jump up and bite her. Eventually she hopped up onto the sofa as well, somewhat imitating Stan as she lifted the blanket with her claws and slowly started to climb under, making sure to be extra careful with her horn as she poked her head out.

Aura took a moment to help adjust the blanket a bit more, "It's okay. To be honest normally Prince and Stan are fine without blankets, but it was pretty chilly tonight so I felt I should give you guys some blankets." He started to dig through his bag again, "I think it has something to do with the ocean winds or something. Anywho, I'd better get changed and head to bed. Night guys." Aura took his shorts from his bag and walked into the bathroom to get changed, coming back out shortly after and shutting off the lights.

* * *

Diamond rustled around in the bed, feeling restless and uncomfortable, but most notably, hot.

The Braixen opened her eyes, blinking away the sleep, and tried to sit up, feeling a very distinct itch inside her that made her feel warmer than usual. Then she noticed a dampness down below. Diamond slowly lifted the blanket to see a small wet spot on the sheets by her crotch, the fur around it glistening faintly from the dim sunlight seeping into the room.

Her heart rate increased slightly as her face became red behind her fur. Diamond glanced at Aura, who slept soundly next to her facing away. Her mind becoming partially clouded as the vixen let out a hot breath. Just the sight of Aura made her feel even warmer with her juices dripping out even more. She knew she had to deal with it.

So, after making sure the other three were asleep, Diamond inched her way to the edge of the bed, noticing the digital clock on the nightstand reading _5:27 AM_ in bright red as she carefully stood up and walked to the bathroom.

She quickly locked the door before leaning against the wall and sliding down to the floor below the towel rack. Her head in a complete fog at the moment. The fox opened her legs to reveal her soaked groin, soon her instincts quickly took over as she slowly slid one hand down to her crotch while the other groped her breast. She closed her eyes.

"Aura…" She moaned.

Diamond quietly gasped as she slipped her finger into her vagina, her other hand gently toying her small breast. Thoughts of Aura flooded her mind. He would ram into her while toying with her breasts, lightly biting her erect nipples as she helplessly laid on her back, heavily panting while her eyes would roll back in pleasure with tears of pure bliss streaming down her face.

Soon she felt pressure build up inside her as she toyed with herself more intensely. Quickly biting down on a towel to muffled her cries as her steaming juices shot out of her, creating a puddle on the bathroom floor.

Once her orgasm came to an end, she sat there on the floor with the towel now draped on her lap. Her wrist burned from the constant motion while her legs felt numb. After taking a minute to catch her breath, she slowly began to clean up the mess she made with the towel, making sure to dry her womanhood as well, before dumping the towel into the hamper and unlocking the door.

Wobbling back to the bed, she slowly got back under the covers before immediately passing out with a somewhat satisfied expression on her face.

* * *

Almost an hour had gone by since Aura and his Pokemon had come down to the outdoor battlefield to train. Dan had decided not to join them for now as he was busy, but he would come out later.

Meanwhile, Tia and Diamond sat at the nearest patio table with a large bowl of fruit and some water that Aura had requested for them. Tia lapped up some water from a bowl as she watched the training, while Diamond sat with her fluffy tail wrapped over her lap, nervously toying with her stick, even gnawing on it from time to time.

Although Tia had kept her eye attention mostly on the others, she has noticed Diamond acting a bit off since they came out this morning.

Starting to feel a bit worried, Tia looked over to Diamond as she began gnawing on her stick again. "Diamond? Is something wrong?"

Diamond paused, she put her stick down on the table and sighed, "Kind of… I started my heat this morning and I've just been feeling worried." She said.

"What could you be worried about?" Tia asked.

Diamond fidgeted with her necklace, "I'm worried that Aura might lose the gym match if he finds out I'm in heat." Her voice started to sound more anxious, "I know how much he cares about me, and if he spends all his time worrying about me then he won't be able to train for the gym, and if he doesn't train for the gym then he won't be able to win the badge, and if he doesn't win the badge then he can't enter the league! And it will be all my fault!" She pannicked.

Tia blinked at the fox, completely speechless from her panicked rant. "Diamond." Tia said softly, reaching over and gently placing her paw on Diamond's. "I'm sure nothing you just said would ever happen, especially because of you."

Diamond lifted her head, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. "I-I know. But I can't stop thinking about it…" Diamond paused for a second, glancing up as Aura focused on their training. "Tia… Can you please not tell anyone about this?"

The dark type took a second to think about it, "I guess I can keep it a secret. But, if Aura doesn't find out you're in heat before the match, then promise you will tell him after, whether he wins or loses. Okay?"

Diamond nodded, wiping her eyes and feeling much better, "Okay. Thanks for this, Tia."

"No problem. But if you don't mind me asking, this isn't your first heat cycle, is it?"

The fox shook her head, "No it's not. But it is my first time since meeting Aura."

Tia perked up, "That might be why you feel so nervous right now." She said, Diamond looked at her confused. "You're probably worried because you don't know how he'll react to your heat."

"So what should I do?" She asked.

"Just try to keep your urges under control for now I'd say. It may start slow, but your instincts will probably take over when the time comes, if you know what I mean."

Diamond blushed, the Braixen well aware of what Tia was implying. For the next little bit the two of them just continued to watch their trainer and teammates preparing for the gym battle, mindlessly snacking on the bowl of fruit until they noticed Aura perk up and look in their direction. For a second they wondered why, but then they noticed Dan and his Pokemon walking towards them.

Aura walked over with the other two in tow, "Hey, Dan. How'd your little study session go?" He asked as he stepped onto the patio.

The trainer sat in a chair with Missy in his lap. "It went pretty well. I'm glad I got to stand by and watch them work, they even let me help out with a few treatments!" He exclaimed happily. "So how's the training going? Make any progress?"

Aura sat in the chair beside Diamond and grabbed an apple from the bowl, "I'd like to think so. With how strong these two have gotten, I'm thinking we might be ready soon," Aura took a sip of water, "but I'll probably wait one more day to make sure we're in top condition. How's that sound guys?"

Aura looked over to Prince and Stan who happily ate their bowls of Pokemon Food Aura had made for them, both stopping for a moment to agree with their trainer before returning to their food.

Dan glanced at the bowls the two were eating from, "I thought you preferred to give your Pokemon normal food?"

Aura picked up a cylindrical container from behind the fruit bowl, "Well yeah, but I don't mind giving them Pokemon Food for a snack or quick meal. Besides, I actually made this stuff myself." He said, handing the tin to Dan to read the label Aura pasted on.

Taking into account their species and diets, the food was a mixture of different berries and meats with some medicinal herbs as well. Leppa Berries being the main ingredient, the special blend was primarily to help the Pokemon regain stamina after training.

Dan looked at the Guardian impressed, "Wow. This is actually really well made. Where'd you learn to do this?" He asked, taking off the lid and sniffing the contents.

"Mostly from an article from a Pokemon Breeder Magazine on how to make Pokemon Food, it didn't cover everything but it did give me enough to go off. So after a few hours of personal research I put my knowledge to the test. It took a few tries but I managed to do it."

Dan set the tin on the table. "You'll have to show me later. Anywho, I'd love to stay and chat a bit more, but I was offered the chance to help with treating some of the Pokemon, sorry to just come and go like this, but I wanna make sure I'm prepped." He said with an excited laugh.

Aura shook his head. "No problem. I know how important this stuff is to you, besides, we'll probably get back to training right away here."

Soon enough the day came to a close. Aura and his Pokemon returning to their suite for the night, inviting Dan to join them for supper before finally calling it a night.

* * *

 **I know the ending wasn't the best and seemed rushed, but I was having some issues and to avoid stressing myself out too much I just wanted to get it over with quickly, since I know everyone is annoyed when I don't post a chapter for a while. So that is why I am going to make the next few chapters much shorter while still getting the point across.**

 **Anyway, I will start working on the next chapter soon and will hopefully get it out in a few days, or at least sometime before the end of the month.  
**

 **Last thing. I have finally started working on rewriting the beginning chapters, but they will probably take quite a while to actually finish as I am going to keep my primary focus in the progression of the story and will only work on them when I have the time.  
**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Okay so for starters, I am thinking of possibly removing the need to always scan a trainer ID for every gym match. I feel it'll get pretty repetitive quick, not to say the actual Pokemon stuff isn't, of course I could possibly alter it in some way instead of removing it all together. The reason I added it was so stuff like stolen Pokemon couldn't be used in a gym battle and as a way to record the data on the Pokemon a trainer uses, also since I have a rule in this world for a specific age to compete in the league, I feel the ID is also for that purpose. For now I suppose a good way to not have to constantly add it in but still include it is just not always mention it, or just go over it with a very brief description.**

 **I know it may have taken a little longer than most of you thought for this chapter to come out, but the reason is because not only is it the gym battle, but it is also another lemons scene. I know my lemons scenes in the past haven't been the greatest, but I hope with my improved writing skills it will be better.**

* * *

 **Chapter 29: A Rockbound Battle**

Two days had passed since the group had arrived in Cyllage City, and finally it was time for Aura to earn his second badge.

Following the directions they had received at the Pokemon Center, they all now stood outside a cave opening that was the entrance to the Cyllage Gym. Being a rock type gym, it wasn't too shocking to see it be built inside a mountain.

"We've spent a lot of time training since we got here. You guys ready to go?" Aura asked, looking down at Stan and Prince. The two Pokemon responded with confident nods and were returned to their Pokeballs. Aura smiled at the red and white spheres he held, "Then let's do our best."

Taking the lead, Aura stepped into the dimly lit tunnel with Diamond, Tia, and Dan all by his side. Diamond and Tia walking close together. As they reached the end of the short tunnel, they were all amazed at the sight. Not only was the Gym built into the mountain, but the massive cavern inside was breathtaking.

In the center stood a towering hill covered in rocks, behind it ran a powerful waterfall that shimmered in the natural sunlight coming from the wide open hole in the ceiling.

"Quite the sight, isn't it?" They heard someone say from behind them, turning around to see a dark skinned man with colourful stones in his rugged black hair and climbing tools strapped to his waist. "I assume you're here for a gym match?" He asked, walking past them all towards the mountainous rocky hill in the center of the cavern.

"Um, yeah actually. Are you the Gym Leader?" Aura asked.

The man turned around and smiled, "That's right. I'm the Cyllage Gym Leader Grant. And who are you?" Grant asked, taking a step back and leaning against the rock wall with his hands in his pockets.

Aura stepped forward, "My name is Aura, and this is my partner Diamond, and our friend Dan." He gestured to the two, "I moved to Kalos a while back from Johto to start my journey."

Grant tilted his head back and gazed through the open ceiling, "Johto huh? That's quite a ways to travel just to reach the base of such a difficult wall, but that's the kind of determination you need to keep on climbing and finally reach your goals!" Grant pushed himself off the wall, "Alright, as the Cyllage City Gym Leader, I accept your challenge, Aura."

Nodding his head in thanks, Aura started looking around with his smile soon fading in confusion. "Uh, where's the battlefield?"

Grant laughed and pointed his thumb towards the peak of the massive hill, "Up there. But don't worry, there's an elevator if you don't wanna climb." Before anyone could say anything, Grant took hold of a rock protruding from the wall and pulled himself up, quickly scaling the wall with incredible skill.

Diamond looked at Aura who kept his eyes on the top of the wall. "Are you really going to climb that?" She asked, fidgeting with her paws.

Aura glanced back at her for a moment then back to the wall. He reached out and took hold of a rock like Grant did, "Don't worry about me, Diamond. I've fallen off worse," he joked, quickly yanking himself up and climbing quite smoothly. "I'll see you guys at the top."

"Come on guys, let's get to the elevator." Dan suggested, leading the Pokemon to a man standing next to a metal door.

Diamond fidgeted with her necklace with Tia quickly taking notice. "Don't worry, Diamond. I'm sure Aura is just excited to battle." The fox nodded as they all stepped into the lift, it's metal doors sliding shut as the man pressed a button.

Not long after, they found themselves at the very top. The elevator doors opening to a railed-off viewing area and large rocky battlefield. As they stepped up to the railing, Diamond scanned the plateau for her trainer, a sinking feeling arising in her chest when she didn't see him.

Thankfully, her worries were soon relieved as Dan pointed over to the far left side of the battlefield, "Look at that. We made it just in time."

They all looked over to see Aura pulling himself over the ledge, firmly planting his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"Quite impressive to be able to scale the wall so quickly." Grant called. He took a Pokeball from his belt and enlarged it in his hand, "This will definitely be a good fight."

Aura stepped up to his square, his forehead glistened with sweat from the long climb. "I'm looking forward to it." He called back.

The man who took the others up in the elevator walked out onto the field, raising both hands as he began explaining the rules. "This will be an official league match between Grant, the Gym Leader; and Aura, the challenger! Each side will use two Pokemon, when either side's Pokemon are unable to continue the battle will be over! The Gym leader will send out their Pokemon first, but only the challenger may substitute! Are both trainers ready?" Both nodded. "Then let the battle begin!" The man threw his arms down with Grant immediately throwing out his first Pokemon.

"Go, Onix!" He called. The sphere burst open with a massive white light shooting upwards, instantly taking the shape of the enormous rock snake.

Aura moved his hand over his Pokeballs, _"Stan will be at a huge disadvantage here by type."_ He took a ball from his belt and quickly tossed it into the air. "You're up first, Prince!"

The ball popped open and released a flash of light, taking shape of the small canine Pokemon ready to fight.

"I'll let you take the first move." Grant called.

"With pleasure." Aura threw his hand forward, "Prince! Start this off with Swords Dance then Quick Attack!"

The short Pokemon crossed his arms with the grey bumps on his wrists glowing blue and the appendages on his head slowly rising. Suddenly a circle of light blue swords appeared around him, bouncing around in the air before crossing over each other, making Prince faintly glow red for a brief second. As soon as the light subsided, he immediately pushed off the ground and sprinted towards the rock type with a white trail behind him.

"Match their speed with Rock Polish!" The giant snake's body quickly gleamed with a few blue sparks flying across it's body. Prince leaped from the ground towards the rock type, although before he could make contact, the larger Pokemon swiveled it's body out of the way, successfully avoiding the Quick Attack. "Now hit it with Iron Tail!"

The tip of Onix's tail flashed white and soon became coated in a solid metal, swiftly twirling it's body and slamming into the much smaller Pokemon, sending Prince soaring across the field and into the ground at Aura's feet.

"Are you alright, Prince?!" Aura shouted.

The dust cleared with Prince pushing himself up from a small crater, nodding his head and taking his fighting stance once again.

"That's quite the resilient little Riolu you have there. But let's see if it can handle this! Onix, use Rock Tomb!"

A white glow spread across Onix's entire body. It lifted it's head high in the air with a ring of white orbs circling around it, each quickly growing in size before taking the shape and appearance of large grey boulders.

With a ferocious roar, Onix unleashed the attack and let the massive stone fall to the ground.

"Use Foresight to dodge!"

As the rocks plummeted down towards the canine, Prince's eyes glowed bright blue with the appendages on his head floating. To him, time seemed to slow down in that moment as he watched and predicted where the stones would hit, but his time was running thin and he had to move.

What only appeared to be a few seconds of the Riolu predicting the movement of the attack, he suddenly took off running moments before a boulder crashed down right where he was standing, many more following suit.

One after another, Prince weaved his way around the avalanche of falling rocks, but it came to an end as he had misjudged one in his rushed state. Doing his best to avoid the boulder, Prince lost his footing as it came crashing down inches from him.

"Perfect! Now grab it and use Bind!" Onix let out a bellowing roar as it coiled it's rocky tail around the much smaller Pokemon. Prince cried out in pain as his body was forcefully crushed with little hope of escape.

Aura tried to think of a plan as he watched Prince painfully struggle to free himself. Going over all their training sessions and past battles for an idea, he managed to think of something that would hopefully work.

"Power up with Swords Dance, then pry yourself out with Force Palm!"

Doing as told, Prince quickly summoned the light blue blades of Swords Dance, giving himself a power boost to hopefully break free. Maneuvering his paws against Onix's body, Prince focused all of that extra power into his palms in a last ditch effort to escape.

Using all of his strength, Prince forced out massive blasts of energy from his palms within the bindings of Onix's tail, not only dealing massive damage to the rock type, but forcing it's sturdy tail to open and release him from the attack. Although he didn't go unscathed as he cringed while holding his arm.

"I should have expected as much from someone with your determination." Grant called out in praise. "But you've still got a long way to climb!" With a strong stance, Grant swung his arm as he called to his Pokemon, "Onix! Flash Cannon!"

Opening it's huge maw, an orb of bright silver energy quickly took form. Everyone anxiously watched the silver ball expand inside the rock snake's mouth. But before it could build up any more energy, the silver ball suddenly dispersed as a shower of tiny sparks surged across the Onix's body.

As luck seemed to have it, Prince's Force Palm not only dealt massive damage and freed him from Bind, but it had left the large rock snake completely paralyzed.

Aura tightened his fist, "Alright, Prince. This could be our last chance to get ahead, let's not waste it!"

Prince pushed himself off the ground, he could clearly feel the vigor from his trainer as it filled him with the strength to push on.

The sparks surrounding Onix quickly began to clear away from it's last attack, meaning it wouldn't be long before it could make another move.

"Alright, Prince! Finish it off with another Force Palm!" The Riolu sprinted towards their foe, pushing himself off the ground and flying towards the giant serpent.

"Counter with Iron Tail!" Onix let out a bellowing roar as it's tail became coated in metal before heavily swinging it at the incoming Pokemon.

Neither side held back as the two attacks made contact, but Prince's powerful blast of energy ended up being too much for the rock type. Onix let out a roar of pain as it's Iron Tail was easily deflected and the giant Pokemon came crashing down from the super effective move.

The referee lifted one of his arms, "Onix is unable to battle!"

"Great work, Onix. I thought we had them for a minute." Grant held out Onix's ball and returned the massive snake in a flash of red light. It didn't take long for the Gym Leader to ready his next Pokemon. "Alright, Tyrunt! Let's do this!" The ball burst open to release a small dinosaur Pokemon with rough, brown skin.

Aura blinked in confusion, "Tyrunt?" He questioned.

Grant gave a short chuckle, "I guess being from the Johto Region, you've probably never seen a Tyrunt before."

That was true. Aura had knowledge of many different kinds Pokemon from nearly every region, but there were still some Pokemon he wasn't familiar with, Tyrunt being one of them.

Quickly taking out his Pokedex, Aura pointed it towards the dinosaur to scan it. The screen flashing with a photo of the Pokemon in the center with bits of info around it. Although being in the middle of a battle, Aura didn't really have time to read everything, but he did take a look at the fossil Pokemon's type.

"Rock and Dragon huh? Well at least it's not immune to Electric attacks." Slipping his Pokedex back into his pocket, Aura called out to Prince. "You still able to go on?"

The Riolu glanced back, although his fur was covered in sweat and dirt with a few bits of blood from his wounds, he nodded to his trainer with the fire in his eyes still burning. Aura smiled with confidence, they knew Prince wouldn't be able to take the win in his condition, but that doesn't mean they can't try to make things a little easier for Stan's turn.

The referee swung down his arms and called out, "Battle begin!"

"Let's make this quick, Tyrunt! Use Dragon Tail!"

Tyrunt let out a small roar as it enveloped it's tail with a green draconic energy and charged forward.

"Counter with Force Palm! Full power!"

Prince quickly began to focus on whatever strength he had left as he watched Tyrunt swiftly drawing near. With a push from it's powerful legs, Tyrunt leaped into the air and came down with it's glowing tail poised to slam into the Riolu.

As soon as Tyrunt was within reach, Prince swiftly thrusted his arm forward in retaliation, sending a massive blast of energy into the reptile's tail and creating a massive explosion that sent both Pokemon hurdling backwards.

Tyrunt landed in front of it's trainer with a heavy thud, although Prince had been sent tumbling across the rocky ground and straight into the solid metal fencing around the battlefield.

Aura hurried over to the beaten Riolu and knelt down. His fur was caked in dirt with a small trail of blood running from his nose.

The referee raised his hand, "Riolu is unable to battle!"

Prince opened his eyes and looked at his trainer. "I hope I did well, Master Aura." He muttered.

Aura nodded with a smile, "Yes. You did great." He took Prince's ball from his belt and held it up, "Take a long rest, I'll be sure to get you healed as soon as I can." In a flash of red light, the Riolu was returned to the ball to rest and slowly recover some of his strength.

Returning to his position, Aura took Stan's Pokeball and held it up, "It's up to you, buddy." He threw the ball into the air, "Let's win this, Stan!"

Appearing on the field in a flash of white, the Shinx had confidence in his stance with his tail flicking side to side.

The referee threw down his hands, "Battle Begin!"

"Start off with Rock Tomb!" Grant called.

Just like Onix, Tyrunt's body radiated a dim white glow as a circle of white orbs floated around Tyrunt's head, taking the shape of large stones and quickly expanding to almost twice the size of it's body before rising high into the air.

Letting out a roar, the boulders began to fall towards the feline Pokemon. Aura quickly reacted, calling out with his hand in the air, "Stop them with Discharge!"

Stan's body tensed as he emanated a low growl with sparks showering from his body, soon the sparks grew in size as Stan let out a small roar, sending a storm of erratic bolts of electricity through the air.

Not a single rock could pass through the dense cluster of lightning, every time one would be struck with the electricity, they would immediately burt into nothing but small pebbles from the immense charges.

Grant smirked, "Alright, if range won't work then we'll go in for a closer attack! Dragon Tail!"

Tyrunt flicked it's tail with the green energy quickly embracing it. The fossil Pokemon let out a roar as it charged forward at great speed.

"Use Flash and counter with Bite!" Stan flung his tail up with the yellow star on it's tip sparking for a second before unleashing a blinding light that promptly halted Tyrunt's attack. While Tyrunt shook it's head with it's eyes forced shut from the burning sensation, Stan circled around to the dinosaur's side and dove toward it with a white energy shaped like sharp fangs suddenly appearing in front of him.

"Spin around while using Dragon Tail!"

With it's eyes still tightly shut, the green energy around Tyrunts tail returned before the bulky reptile started spinning around in circles, effectively guarding from all directions despite not being able to see.

Unable to stop himself in the air, Stan collided with Tyrunt's tail with the white energy shattering like glass as the feline flew back with a painful cry.

Tyrunt finally stopped spinning and slowly opened it's eyes, though stumbling a bit from the dizzying effect of it's defensive maneuver.

"You alright, Stan?" Aura called. The Shinx pushed himself up with fangs bared and one eyes closed. He let out a small cry of confirmation.

Before Aura could issue another command, Grant called out from across the field, "Let's show them how to really use your teeth! Hit it with your Crunch attack!"

Similar to Stan, Tyrunt started sprinting toward the Shinx with a shimmering white energy shaped like massive fangs formed around him. Everyone watched in horror as Tyrunt dove down and took the small lion in it's massive jaws.

"Great work, Tyrunt! Now toss it in the air!"

As the rock type reeled back to let the electric type soar, Aura quickly called out, "Use Discharge now!"

Before Tyrunt could throw him, Stan's body burst out with a shower of wild lightning bolts, and since he was inside Tyrunt's mouth, much of the electricity traveled through the rock Pokemon and dealt massive damage to it despite the type resistance.

Sadly it wasn't enough to get Tyrunt to release Stan, as soon as the Discharge ended, Tyrunt still had the strength to throw Stan in the air. "Time for your walls to crumble! End this with Draco Meteor!"

Tyrunt aimed it's open maw into the air with an orange sphere building inside. The sphere soon shot from Tyrunt's mouth like a rocket and hurdled towards the Shinx, nailing him directly and exploding into a shower of meteors that hit the ground with Stan falling among them, hitting a few on his way down.

"Stan!" Aura cried. Was this the end?

Everyone gasped in shock as the smoke cleared to reveal the small Pokemon weakly standing with heavy breaths. His Ear had a large gash in it while a lot of his fur appeared singed from the intense heat of the meteors.

Grant didn't know whether to be upset or amazed at the determined little Pokemon, but he pushed those thoughts aside as the battle still had yet to end.

"It's not every day someone can stand up after taking a direct hit from Draco Meteor, but sorry to say it was all for nothing. Tyrunt, finish this off with Dragon Tail!"

"This isn't good." Dan muttered as he watched Tyrunt prepare the finishing blow. "Stan may have somehow survived the Draco Meteor, but there's no way he could take another hit from anything, let alone a Dragon Tail."

Diamond gazed at her trainer with pure worry. "Come on, Aura. Please."

Meanwhile, Aura watched in disbelief as he was on the verge of losing the battle, it pained him to lose, but it was not even close to the pain of letting down his Pokemon. Aura tightened his fists. Even though everything was looking down for them, it didn't have to end like this. A felt the same determination he did during Prince's fight, but this time it felt even stronger. He wouldn't give up. He would fight to the very end.

Stan's body suddenly began to glow with a bright light bursting out. Through all the pain he felt, he shared the same determination as his trainer, and the bond they shared let those emotions come forth with real meaning.

Tyrunt's tail collided with the white light, but for some reason Tyrunt appeared to be struggling to push forward. Everyone wondered why until the light finally died down to reveal the newly evolved Luxio with his tail coated in shimmering metal.

Aura felt intense joy overwhelm him that nearly brought him to tears as his smile beamed. Everyone watched in awe as Stan let out a louder roar than he ever had and flung Tyrunt back towards it's trainer. The Luxio standing firm with sparks showering from his body.

Stan turned towards Aura with the most determined and grateful eyes he'd ever had. Exchanging only a small nod with one another, they faced their opponents with newfound hope.

"Let's finish this together, Stan! Use Iron Tail!"

Stan flicked his tail with it flashing into metal before taking off towards Tyrunt, leaping into the air and spinning with his tail toward the ground.

Grant's forehead glistened with sweat as he desperately called out to his Pokemon. "Tyrunt! Draco Meteor!"

Like before, Tyrunt launched an orange ball into the sky. It flew past the falling Luxio before bursting and showering the field with meteors.

"Look out!" Aura shouted.

Without missing a beat, Stan's body glittered with sparks before a veil of intense thunder formed around him, firing a barrage of intense lightning through the air, destroying every meteor like it was nothing while he still plummeted towards Tyrunt with Iron Tail.

It was all over as Stan's tail slammed down into Tyrunt's skull, forcing the rock type into the ground and sending a tremor across the plateau.

The dust cleared with Tyrunt lying in the dirt and Stan triumphantly standing in front of it.

The referee raised his hand, "Tyrunt is unable to battle, Luxio wins and the victory goes to the challenger, Aura!"

"They did it!" Diamond cheered, overcome by excitement.

Tia smiled at the youthful fox, "I told you there was nothing to worry about." She teased, making the fox pause and shyly poke her fingers together with an awkward laugh. Although Tia did glance away with a faint blush as she replayed the Luxio's triumphant victory in her mind, feeling a bit fluttery with her heart beating a bit faster.

Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Grant had returned his Tyrunt and the two trainers made their way to the center of the field, the referee following with a hexagonal try in his hands.

"Your Luxio was quite impressive, Aura. It managed to push through and scale the challenging wall to evolution and turned the battle around." Grant praised.

Aura looked down at Stan by his side, petting the Luxio's head with a proud smile, "Yeah, Stan's a great Pokemon, and an amazing fighter too. I wouldn't replace him for any other Luxio in the world."

"That's good to hear." Grant nodded to the referee who held out the tray towards Aura, "As proof of your victory here, I present you with the Cliff Badge. May it give you the strength to climb to the top."

Taking the badge, Aura held it in his hand with pride. "Thank you, Grant. It was a great battle." He looked over to the others and nodded. "I'd better get going if we wanna be ready to head out tomorrow morning. Plus I want to get Prince healed up as soon as possible. But I hope we can battle again sometime." Aura put out his hand with Grant gladly taking it.

"I'm looking forward to it. Best of luck to you in the Kalos League."

With one final nod, Aura and Stan walked to the viewing area and rejoined the others. They all gave him their congrats before they took the elevator back down to the base and exit the gym.

* * *

The Pokemon Center's doors opened as Aura, Dan, Diamond, and Tia all entered the lobby. Aura had returned Stan to his ball earlier to rest.

Nurse Joy bowed her head as they approached the counter, "Welcome back. How was your gym battle?" Aura took the badge from his pocket and held it up with a grin. Nurse Joy clapped her hands, "Oh, congratulations."

Aura nodded, putting the badge back in his pocket to put away later. "Thanks. It was tough, but my Shinx turned it around after he evolved."

Nurse Joy bowed again, "Well then would you like me to look after your Pokemon for you?"

"Please. They took some pretty hard hits and I want to make sure they're okay." He unclipped Stan and Prince's balls from his belt and handed them to Nurse Joy.

Meanwhile as this was happening, Tia had spoke to Diamond in a hushed whisper. "You remember the promise, right?" Diamond's small smile vanished as she sighed, she wasn't afraid of Aura losing the battle anymore, but she still fear his reaction to her heat.

She fidgeted with her necklace, "I'll try to tell when we get back to the room."

Tia nodded, "Alright, as long as you do." Tia glanced over to see Aura handing Stan and Prince's Pokeballs to Nurse Joy. "I'll see about giving you two some privacy." The Absol walked up to her trainer and nudged his leg, "Aura?"

"Yeah, Tia?"

Tia glanced away with a faint blush, "I was wondering if I could stay down here with Stan until he's better. Is that okay?"

Aura smiled, "Of course." He looked to Nurse Joy, remembering other people couldn't understand Pokemon, "Is it alright if my Absol stays with my Luxio for a while? They're both really good friends and I'd rather let them stay together if possible." Tia blushed at the mention of "friends".

After Nurse Joy happily agreed, Aura let Tia follow a Wigglytuff that soon came out the back room.

"I should head up to my room and start getting ready," Dan said, "plus I gotta feed my Pokemon and put away all my books." He rubbed the back of his head as he thought of the clutter of medical books and papers spread across the room.

The two trainers and Diamond started heading upstairs to get ready for their departure in the morning.

Entering the suite, Aura set Tia's empty Pokeball on the counter and started walking towards his bag. "After that intense fight I could really use a shower." He said, removing his belt and shirt, his torso glistening with sweat.

From the bed, Diamond watched Aura with her mind wandering towards her lustful thoughts. The smell of Aura's musk drifting towards her nose drove her crazy. Then she remembered her promise to Tia, she had to tell him.

Aura made his way to the bathroom with a fresh set of clothes folded over his arm. Just as he was reaching for the knob he felt Diamond's arms wrap around his waist. He turned and looked at her confused, "Something wrong, Diamond?"

"Aura… I have to tell you something." She said, doing her best not to let her instincts take over.

He lead her to the bed and sat down beside her, "What is it?" He asked.

Diamond took a deep breath, "I-I'm in heat." She admitted.

Aura paused, blankly staring at the fox for a moment. He knew what it meant for Pokemon to be in heat, but he didn't know a lot about what it did exactly, considering it wasn't a subject that would be taught in a normal trainer school.

"How long as it been going on for?" He asked, at a loss for words.

"It started the day after we got here."

Aura held her paw, even without his abilities, he could see she was growing anxious. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to worry about me. I was scared if you knew I was in heat then you would spend all your time worrying about me and not be able to focus on the gym battle, and then it would've been my fault if you lost and couldn't enter the league."

He didn't move, stunned that she would think such a thing.

"Diamond, I'd never blame you for something like that. And if anything, I should be the one apologizing. I should have noticed something was wrong sooner, I guess I was just so caught up with training that I didn't realize." Aura faced the floor and sighed. "I'm sorry."

Without warning, Diamond suddenly turned Aura's head towards her and firmly pushed her lips against his, making him widen his eyes in surprise, though melting into the kiss nonetheless.

Finally pulling away, Diamond panted as she stared into her trainer's eyes. She could feel herself starting to go a little lightheaded as her mind grew foggy from the burning heat inside her, slowly losing herself to her primal instincts. "Aura." She moaned, spreading her legs to reveal her womanhood soaked in her arousal, "Please. I need you."

"I… Uh…" Aura could hardly speak. He felt oddly flustered from Diamond's sudden request despite them having sex in the past, but for some reason this time he felt different in a way he couldn't quite describe.

Meanwhile, as Aura sat there silently, Diamond could feel her instincts growing stronger. Her eyes trailed down to Aura's groin, the sight of the noticable bulge in his jeans made her feel even hotter. It became too much for her as she finally gave in to her natural instincts.

Without even letting Aura answer her, Diamond got off the bed and knelt down in front of Aura, taking his zipper in her claws and pulling it down.

Aura watched in silence as Diamond started to struggle with the button, finally giving in, he sighed and undid it for her. With his pants now on the floor, Aura sat on the bed with his erection pitching a tent in his boxers.

In a trance-like state, Diamond didn't hesitate to remove the garment, revealing her mate's hardened member. With half-lidded eyes, Diamond leaned closer to Aura's manhood and took in it's alluring musk, making her head spin with her mind now a complete fog. Her primal instincts now having full control.

Diamond touched the base of Aura's member with the tip of her tongue, slowly gliding it up to the head as she continued taking in his scent. Being a fire type, her tongue felt very warm, with her hot breaths adding to the pleasure.

Reaching the head, the vixen wrapped her lips around it and lightly sucked on it before lowering herself down slowly. The insides of her mouth even warmer with every moan sending a vibration across his member. Her soft tongue swirled around Aura's shaft as she continued to bob her head, lightly sucking every so often.

Aura's body tensed as he began to feel her sharp teeth lightly grazing his shaft, it felt odd, but exciting nonetheless, and soon he could feel himself reaching his limit.

Diamond could feel Aura's member twitching, bobbing her head slightly faster while sucking a bit harder to coax Aura to his climax. Pushing the tip of her muzzle down to the base of his shaft, she happily took in the potent smell of her lover as she felt his hands hold the back of her head as he loudly groaned.

She suddenly felt Aura's warm spunk shoot into her maw, hitting the back of her throat and filling her cheeks with the sticky seed. Some of the clearish-white liquid spurting from the sides of her mouth as her small cheeks overflowed.

Feeling lightheaded as he rode out his orgasm, Aura finally let go of Diamond's head so she could pull away, her small cheeks puffed out with cum with some of it dripping from her lips. Diamond moaned in satisfaction from the distinct flavour of Aura's seed, savouring it for a bit longer before swallowing, feeling the warm, sticky liquid flowing down her throat.

Aura lightly panted with his manhood quickly growing hard as he watched Diamond swallow his seed. He wanted to ask if she was okay, but something in the back of his mind held him back.

He watched Diamond wipe her mouth of the remaining liquids. Eyeing Aura with a seductive gaze, Diamond slowly stood up and began to climb onto Aura's lap, leaning close to his ear and whispering. "Take me."

Diamond could feel Aura's dick against her pussy, grinding her butt against it's wet surface before lining it up and taking it's tip into her womanhood, eliciting a small moan of pleasure from the fox as she slowly slid her way down. The mixture of her saliva and his seed acted as a lubricant.

Diamond slowly pumped herself up and down on Aura's cock, her soft fur felt great against Aura's skin.

As the two went on with Diamond's moans slowly growing louder overtime, the odd sensation Aura was feeling before grew stronger, his head spun wildly as his vision slowly blurred and his mind silenced in a thick fog. He could hardly focus on anything at this point save for Diamond and the ecstatic pleasure he was feeling at that moment. It almost felt like he was no longer in control of his mind nor body.

Soon Aura began to pump his hips against Diamond's, a light smacking sound heard each time they made contact from the sexual juices coating their privates. Aura leaned back a bit on the bed with Diamond having to hold her paws against Aura's chest to keep her balanced.

While the fox continued bouncing on her trainer's sex, her erect nipples started poking through her fur with her tiny breasts bouncing in rhythm. She let out a squeaky gasp as she felt Aura's teeth latch onto her left nipple while his fingers toyed with her right. "Mmmmh! Yes, Aura!" She moaned.

After suckling her left nipple enough, Aura quickly switched to her right, lightly biting down to receive a loud gasp from the vixen.

Aura suddenly began to thrust his hips faster as pressure built in his groin, having to let go of her nipples as he grunted. "D-Diamond! I'm gonna cum!"

Diamond felt his shaft twitching inside her, nearly reaching her own climax as well. Slamming down one last time, Diamond let out her loudest moan yet as she felt the warm seed of her mate rush into her womb, releasing waves of her own juices in turn.

The two rode out their orgasms together with Diamond's womb overflowing with Aura's spunk, some of the white liquid squirting out with Diamond's love juices that now coated their crotches.

Finally coming down from the sexual high, Diamond slowly lifted herself off of Aura's shaft, which still stood fully erect and covered in glistening fluids.

"That was amazing." Aura panted, watching some of his seed pour out of Diamond's pussy.

Diamond shuddered at the feeling of Aura's cum flowing down her leg, she felt so full, yet she still hungered for more.

The fox crawled on all fours to the center of the bed, lowering her head with her butt in the air towards Aura, her large tail hung over her back to the side to show off her sopping pussy, some of his seed still dripping from it.

"Please, I need more." She said, sensually swaying her rump in the air while peaking over her shoulder.

Aura stood up and made his way over to her on his knees, grabbing her soft hips and gently holding his shaft between her cheeks, slowly sliding it up and down before finally lining up with his lover's womanhood.

Diamond gasped as she felt her mate's girth push it's way into her tight love hole. He began to slowly move before quickly picking up speed, thusting his shaft deep into the vixen as she gasped and moaned from the pleasure.

"Harder! Harder!" She moaned, her grip on the sheets tightening. Aura suddenly grabbed the fur in Diamond's ears and pulled back as he rammed into her harder, "Nyaaah! Yes! Don't let go!" She screamed, her eyes rolling back in ecstasy while her tongue dangled from her mouth.

Soon enough Aura was on the verge of his second climax, with Diamond not too far either. Diamond let out one last silent scream of pleasure as her walls convulsed and sprayed her juices all over Aura's crotch. His member twitching before releasing the last of his seed deep into her womb.

Finally, Diamond collapsed on the bed with her mate. Aura slowly pulled out of her with some of his seed pouring out.

Diamond quietly groaned, "Thank you, Aura." Before she dozed off in exhaustion.

Aura, however, slowly got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom, picking up his clean clothes on the way. He felt a little dizzy for some reason, but it slowly began to clear up. He finally entered the bathroom and took a quick shower to wash off before getting ready to retrieve the others for the night.

He glanced back at Diamond for a minute and smiled, "I don't know what exactly just happened, but as long as she's happy." Aura quickly covered her up with the blanket and grabbed Tia's ball before heading downstairs.

* * *

 **I know what most of you are probably thinking, "That lemons scene was SO out of character for Diamond! She'd never be like that!" Well, for starters the reason I have made reference to her improving confidence is because of this scene, because I have been planning for it to happen for quite a while, also I wanted to make it clear that it was mainly her heat that made her that bold. I actually had to spend some time researching stuff like this to make sure I knew what I was talking about, although I made some tweaks considering the fact of they are not animals, but Pokemon.**

 **Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Next chapter I will try to keep a lot shorter so I can get it out sooner, but who knows, it might end up longer than planned.**


	30. Chapter 30

**This chapter turned out to be way longer than expected, but at least I managed to get it written in roughly a week. I have a general idea for the next two chapters so I hope to get them out before the end of the month, but I can't guarantee.**

 **Now I'm not going to keep you all waiting any longer, so here's the newest chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 30: Wilted Lilly**

After earning his second badge, and spending some quality time with Diamond. Aura and the others had left Cyllage City the next day and were now headed towards their next destination.

A few hours after leaving the city that morning, they found themselves traveling through a lush forest with plenty of flower bushes wherever they looked. It was a serene setting and they felt it would be cruel not to have everyone enjoy it.

"What say we break for lunch and let our Pokemon out for a while?" Aura suggested, slowing down and looking around, "I've always liked this kind of natural areas, it's really refreshing."

Diamond's stomach quietly rumbled. She blushed and glanced away as Aura chuckled. "I could use something to eat." She muttered in embarrassment.

Dan looked into the sky, seeing the sun not too far from it's peak, "I guess it's close enough to supper time, but I don't really get how you two can be so hungry already." He laughed.

Aura shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe it was all the excitement from my battle yesterday." He started scanning their surroundings for a place to rest, seeing a small clearing not too far away and leading them to it. "Alright everyone, come out!" Aura tossed the three Pokeballs containing his team into the air.

"You guys too." Dan followed, tossing his Pokeballs up as well.

Flash after flash, each of their Pokemon stood in a group before their trainers.

"What do you need from us, Daniel?" Nessa inquired, elegantly walking towards her trainer's side.

Spyke crossed his arms and looked around, "Yeah, are we lost or something?" He raised his paw in a fist, "Or are we gonna do some battling?"

The trainer shook his head. "No, we're just stopping for a bit to have lunch." He explained, gently picking Missy up from the ground and petting her head.

Aura smirked, looking over to his own Pokemon as Prince approached him, kneeling down at his feet, "Is there anything you would like me to do, Master Aura?"

Aura awkwardly scratched his cheek, "Thanks for the offer, Prince. But you can just relax for now, okay? You and Stan put of quite the fight yesterday and I want you two to keep resting for a bit longer."

Prince nodded, "As you wish."

After Prince stood up and walked away, Aura looked over to Tia and Diamond who were standing by and speaking with one another. He smiled and made his way over to them. "Hey you two, mind helping we with something?"

The halted their conversation and set their attention on the trainer. "What is it?" Diamond asked.

"I was wondering if you two could help gather some firewood? We'll go a bit further away though cause I don't really wanna ruin this place," he explained, looking around the lush clearing.

Tia nervously nodded and turned towards him, "O-of course. I'd be happy to help."

Aura nodded, "Good, we could also think of this as a training exercise since you two didn't battle in the last gym match." He started walking towards one of the far edges of the clearing with the girls quickly following.

A few minutes later they had found some small trees in a craggy area with more rocks than grass.

"This looks like a good spot. And most of these trees are dead anyway so it should be fine to cut a few down for wood."

Tia curiously looked up, "But do we really need that much wood?"

Aura smiled, "We could probably leave a pile for anyone else who passes by the clearing after we leave, so it won't go to waste. Now, let's get chopping!" He said, rubbing his hands together. Pointing to one of the trees, Aura let Diamond be the first up, "See if you can chop down that one with Cut."

The fox happily nodded and pulled her stick from her tail, a long white blade of energy forming from the tip as Diamond ran toward the sun-dried tree. With elegant movements, the bipedal canine jumped forward and slashed at the trunk, skidding to a halt behind it with the wood sliding down and falling to the rocky ground.

Diamond smiled cheerfully as the blade vanished with Aura and Tia jogging towards her. "How did I do?" She asked.

Aura lifted the small tree that was not much taller than the fox who cut it. He admired the smooth cut at the base as he ran his finger along it. "Not bad. You're getting a lot stronger for sure." Diamond's tail wagged from the compliment. "Alright, now it's Tia's turn."

The trainer looked around and noticed a slightly larger tree in the distance. He took a second to go over Tia's attacks before giving her an order, this being the first time he has actually done any form of training with her.

"Let's try out a Slash attack. Okay?"

Tia nodded and took a stance with her legs spread and her head lowered. She focused her gaze on the tree as a low growling resonated from the dark-type, her horn began to glow white and extend before the Absol took off sprinting toward her target.

With a powerful leap, Tia dove forward and furiously swung her head, a loud "shwing!" sound echoed as her razor sharp horn effortlessly sliced through the thick wood and caused the tree to fall to the ground behind her. Flicking her head to the side, Tia's horn shrunk down to it's normal size and ceased to glow as she turned around to see the impressed faces of the other two.

Diamond's eyes glistened as she was awestruck by the sheer power her friend displayed. Tia lightly flushed from the looks she received. "Did I do good?"

"That was amazing, Tia. You've really got a lot of power behind you." He praised, walking over to the downed tree and kneeling at it's base. "You and Diamond have some great technique to get these cuts to be so smooth."

The girls blushed and looked at each other with proud smiles. "Do we need any more wood, Aura?" Diamond asked, tightly holding her stick secretly just wanting to show off her skill even more.

"I think we have enough for the fire and then some, but I can see you're eager to keep training so maybe you two can chop these down a bit more, how about it?"

He couldn't me more right about the two being eager to train. It was in their nature as Pokemon to want to grow stronger and battle, although some Pokemon don't feel as strongly towards the act, it is always a part of who they are.

With a little help from the canines, Aura moved the trees further into the rocky clearing and positioned them in specific ways. He wiped his brow and got his distance from the wood with the Pokemon standing by his side, loyally waiting for a command as their trainer reviewed the situation.

"I think a good place to start is to get rid of all the branches. But not much challenge there…" Aura scratched his chin with a firm gaze on the two dead trees, snapping his fingers with a grin and taking his phone from his pocket, "Let's try this. See how close you can cut each branch to the base as quick as you can. Test your accuracy."

The Pokemon nodded and faced their targets, curiously glancing back at Aura as he tapped his phone to bring up a stopwatch. With Diamond holding her stick firmly in her grasp, and Tia readying herself to pounce, they felt excited to finally be getting some well needed exercise.

"I just wanna make this clear. This isn't a competition, okay?" The two looked at him as if offended by the statement, causing the Guardian to awkwardly chuckle. "A-anyway. Tia, let's try your Night Slash this time, and Diamond continue with Cut. Ready? Go!" He said, tapping his stopwatch as the two took off with their attacks ready.

Tia ran noticeably faster than Diamond, quickly overtaking the fox as she pounced towards her tree with her horn glowing purple with a dark trail behind it. With smooth and easy movements, splinters of wood flew in the air as Tia's horn slashed through the branches, quickly bringing her head back up to do the same with the other side.

At the same time, only a few seconds behind Tia, Diamond nimbly leaped forward and sliced her blade clean through the thin branches, following Tia's actions and slashing back upward to clear off the other side.

"That was great you two! Only took about ten or so seconds to finish." Aura praised excitedly. "Now let's see how you did." Pocketing his phone, Aura hurried over to the Pokemon and reviewed the results.

As Aura did that, Diamond looked over to the Dark-type with a friendly smile, the Absol returning a shy one of her own. "So how close did we get?" Diamond asked, walking behind the kneeling trainer and peering over his shoulder.

"Both of them look pretty damn close. A few were a bit off but otherwise perfect." He looked over his shoulder at them, an enthusiastic grin spread across his face from the excitement he felt as well. "Ready for the next step?"

After a few minor adjustments to the trees, Aura lead the two back to their starting position and rubbed his hands together. "After this there will only be one last thing I wanna try, and then we'll head back to the others," he glanced back to the direction they came from and rubbed his head, "they probably think we got lost or something."

"Nah, we figured you might have been training." They heard a voice say. The leaves began to rustle behind them before a starred tail poked out followed by a blue face bearing a cheerful grin. Tia blushed as the feline strode out from the bush with his tail flicking in the air.

"Stan? I thought I asked you to rest for today?" Aura said with a somewhat stern yet confused tone.

The Luxio awkwardly laughed as he couldn't deny his trainer's words. He shrugged, "I kind of got bored sitting around and doing nothing. So when I heard something going on over here I came to have a look." He sighed with an apologetic smile, "Sorry."

Aura knelt down next to his Luxio, patting him on the head. "It's fine, I just want you all to be healthy." Stan nodded as his trainer stood back up, "Now then, shall we continue?"

Diamond and Tia nodded happily before facing the trees once again. Stan excitedly walked up to his trainer's side and sat down with a smile, he was very curious about the training, but he couldn't help finding his gaze slowly drifting toward the Absol's rear, causing his face to faintly flush as he quickly forced himself to glance away.

"I want you guys to use Cut and Night Slash to cut these logs down to size." The two nodded as Aura took some mental measurements, "Three even pieces should be good for both of them. They don't need to be perfect, just do your best, got it?"

Receiving another nod of confirmation from the two, Aura gave them the signal and they took off again.

Stan's eyes were glued to Tia. The Absol lunging forward like before, but this time she swiftly swung her head back and forth. Right as she landed, the tree immediately broke apart into three logs.

Lagging a couple seconds behind, Diamond firmly slashed her blade similar to a skilled swordsman. What she lacked in running speed, she certainly made up for in accuracy and agility as her slashes were slightly smoother than Tia's. Just like the other one, Diamond's target instantly collapsed with clean cuts down the trunk.

"Great job you two!" Aura called, applauding their skillful work. He looked down to the Luxio at his side and blinked, "Stan? Are you okay? You're nose is bleeding."

The Luxio suddenly snapped back to reality from his hypnotized state and felt something running down his lips. He quickly wiped the crimson liquid away with his paw, "U-uh. Yeah… I'm fine." He stuttered, glancing back at the Absol's slim yet firm figure as her and Diamond approached.

Aura couldn't help but raise his eyebrow at the feline, though decided to leave it be, knowing Stan wasn't one to keep serious problems from him. The trainer returned his attention back to the others and nodded, "Alright, last thing for now then we head back for lunch, okay?"

The Pokemon were just about to answer when an explosion suddenly rang through the air. "What was that?" Diamond panicked, frantically looking around.

"I don't know, but judging by that smoke it can't be good!" Aura pointed towards the sky where a pillar of smoke rose up in the distance. "Stan! Go tell the others there might be trouble while we go check it out!" The trainer said.

Stan glanced toward the smoke, "But I want to help!"

Aura shook his head, "You can run fast, so you can get back quicker. Besides," he looked to the other two, "Diamond and Tia haven't really been in any fights lately, so they should have a bit more energy saved up."

"Aura is right." Tia stepped forward, "Please, Stan. Go tell the others. We'll be okay."

The Luxio blinked in a confused yet flustered manner at the Absol, but nodded nonetheless as he quickly spun around and took off back to the others.

Aura faced Tia and Diamond and nodded, "Let's go." The two followed close behind their trainer as he started running in the direction of the smoke, each worried something bad awaited them, but at the same time, they couldn't help but enjoy the thought of a possible battle after their short training session.

Pushing their way into another clearing, they noticed a small crater near the steep dirt wall at the back with a large group of Electrike and Houndour creating a ring of sorts around the low cliff. Through the open spaces between the Pokemon, Aura's eyes widened as he spotted a small brown Pokemon with cream coloured fur in large clumps around it's body, next to it stood a bulky Pokemon with purple fur.

The purple Pokemon grabbed the small Pokemon by the ear and lifted it in the air, eliciting a squeal of pain from the injured Buneary as the Granbull loudly barked in anger.

Adjusting himself to get a better look, Aura accidentally stepped on a small twig causing the Granbull's ear to twitch and turn it's head towards the three onlookers. The Granbull appeared battle torn with one of it's large fangs missing and it's right eye forced shut by a large scar.

"This isn't good." Aura muttered, watching the Granbull roughly toss the Buneary to the ground and stomp toward them, the Pokemon around it following it's movements and turning as well.

The dog glared at them and snarled. "What are you doing trespassing in MY territory?!" It barked.

Aura stood up, "What are you doing to that Buneary?" He questioned.

Granbull bared it's teeth and growled in anger. "You have one chance to leave, human! Or you'll suffer the same as this worthless thief!" It barked again, glancing back at the injured Buneary.

Sensing the impending danger, Diamond and Tia jumped in front of Aura ready to act at a moment's notice. Diamond held her stick tight while Tia arched her back as if ready to pounce. "You'll regret threatening our trainer!" Tia growled.

Behind them, Aura could also tell things were about to get rough as he started glowing faintly with blue energy. "We aren't going anywhere."

A pulse of anger showed on the Granbull's forehead. "You've made a big mistake!" With a loud roar, Granbull gave the order to attack. Every one of the Electrike and Houndour around it suddenly rushing the trio intending to rip them apart for intruding on their land.

"Diamond, surround them with Fire Spin!"

Twirling her stick like a baton with both ends lit ablaze, a spiraling stream of fire shot forward and created a large burning ring around them. Moments before the fire completely engulfed the horde, many of the Electrike escaped with the use of Quick Attack and scattered about. Though some were not as lucky as howls of pain came from the swirling flames.

The Electrike that avoided the attack make quick work surrounding the group with showers of sparks surging from their bodies, but they were only the beginning as out from the wall of fire emerged each of the Houndour that had taken the hit, many of which completely untouched and even stronger.

Now circled by at least a dozen of the canine Pokemon, Tia and Diamond slowly backed up close to their trainer while the aggressive Pokemon slowly closed in.

"What are we going to do? There's too many of them." Diamond observed, frantically looking around.

Aura gasped, "That's it! Tia, even it out with Double Team and use Shadow Ball!"

Glancing over her shoulder, the Absol lowered her head and let out a low growling sound before multiple slightly blurred copies of herself spread around them, each of which began forming a ball of purple and black energy at their mouths then firing them in every direction, exploding on impact with each of the circling Pokemon.

The copies of the Absol quickly disappeared with the original standing back in her original position, the trio now surrounded by a ring of unconscious and badly weakened Pokemon. But as they began dragging their fallen allies away, the Granbull snarled from behind the dying flames Diamond created.

"You lost!" Aura called, taking a step forward, "If you don't want to end up like your friends here, leave that Buneary alone and go back to wherever you came from!"

The Granbull glanced around the clearing at the burnt and bruised Pokemon before facing the trio again with a nasty glare. "This isn't over!" It barked, storming off in the direction the others had gone.

Nodding confidently, Aura hurried to the Buneary with Tia and Diamond close by. "You think she'll be okay?" Tia asked, able to tell it was a female.

"I hope so, we'll take her back to make- huh?" Aura paused as the rabbit Pokemon began to weakly squirm in his arms. It slowly opened it's eyes, but instead of the thankful joy they hoped to see, her eyes were filled with absolute terror as she violently squirmed in Aura's grasp.

"H-hey! Calm down!" Diamond said, trying to coax the Pokemon.

The Buneary stopped squirming for a second as a blue and white ball formed near it's mouth, immediately firing off an Ice Beam at Aura's face and creating a thick layer of ice around his head until he finally released her, the rabbit running off into the forest without looking back.

Although they were concerned for the injured bunny, they were more worried for their trainer as fell back with a thud from the ice. Diamond acted fast as she exhaled a small flame at the ice and quickly melting it off, her and Tia helping the trainer sit up as he harshly shivered with water dripping from his head.

"I-I'm o-o-okay. T-t-t-thanks." He stuttered.

"They're over here!" They heard Stan's voice, looking off to where they came from to see the Luxio jump through the foliage with Dan and the rest of them all trailing behind.

Dan nearly fell back as he saw his friend dripping with water and shivering as Diamond and Tia were closely pressed against him. "What the hell happened? You look like you got in a fight with a Dewgong or something!"

Aura grinned, "T-try a B-B-Buneary." He joked.

Dan sighed, "Come on, let's get you back now, we'll probably settle down for the night to make sure you don't get sick." With some help from the Pokemon, they helped Aura back to the campsite and prepared for lunch.

Sitting around the fire with a broiling pot of stew hung above it, Diamond kept herself pressed against Aura to give him extra warmth, not wanting to leave his side in fear he could get sick. Although she felt even warmer herself as Aura had removed his wet shirt and held her by the waist, leaving the fox just a bit aroused by the situation as she rest her head against his chest.

"It's already getting dark." Aura said, Diamond looking up and seeing him facing the sky.

"Well with you deciding to train when you went to get wood, and then having to bring you and get the wood you cut all back here before we could start cooking, it's not surprising that the day's already gone." Dan noted, pouring some of the stew into a bowl and bringing it to Aura. "So, what did happen in that clearing back there? All I know is that after Stan went to find you, he came running back in a panic about some smoke or something."

Diamond let go of Aura so he could reach out and take the bowl. "After we got to that clearing we saw some Houndour and Electrike around a pretty beat up Granbull. I guess the Granbull was their pack leader because it was talking about us trespassing in it's territory."

Dan brought another bowl over for Diamond and began dishing out some for everyone else, "That's really weird. Granbull are usually more docile Pokemon, I wonder why this one was so aggressive." After setting down some bowls for the other Pokemon, Dan filled his own bowl and sat next to Aura.

"I guess this one just doesn't like to follow the norm," Aura glanced at Diamond and smirked as she shoveled a spoonful of stew into her mouth, not bothered by the heat at all, "kind of like me." The fox suddenly looked up at him, pausing as he wiped a bit of gravy off her chin.

"You've got a point. Stuff like the Pokedex only really bases these kinds of things on the average data, but that doesn't mean they're all like that." Dan stroked Missy's back as she sat by him eating from a bowl.

Diamond's ears twitched and swiveled around. "Something up, Diamond?" Aura asked.

She looked behind them with her ears continuing to twitch, "I swear I heard something in the bushes. Maybe those Pokemon followed us." Standing up with her stick drawn, Diamond carefully watched the rustling bushes waiting for something to pop out, and what did left them all a bit surprised.

The leaves and flowers parted as a Buneary weakly pushed it's way through the plants and stumbled forward, it's nose twitched as it sniffed about as if lured there by the smell of their food. "Well, this looks familiar." Aura whispered to himself. Not even a foot out of the brush, the small bunny let out a quiet squeak of pain before falling to the ground.

"Is that the Buneary you found with the Granbull?" Dan asked while Aura carefully crawled toward it with Diamond following.

"Looks like it. Must have come here looking for food." The trainer gently picked up it's beaten body, carrying it back toward the fire as Dan retrieved his first-aid kit. "Hopefully she won't try to run away again when she wakes up."

Taking the kit from Dan, the two sat together and began treating Buneary's wounds. Aura felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Stan sitting behind him. "Wouldn't you be able to heal her with your aura? You did it for Missy, right?"

Aura sighed as he continued to help Dan apply bandages, "I don't want to rely on my aura too much unless necessary. Besides, I felt pretty drained when I did it last time, and I don't want to risk it if that Granbull shows up again."

After a few minutes of tending to Buneary's wounds, Aura had Tia and Diamond watch over her while he and Dan set up their tents. "Aura! She's waking up!" Diamond called just as Aura finished with the tent.

The Buneary groaned and opened her eyes, as soon as she saw the familiar faces around her she quickly began to squirm again like before, but this time it only made her wince in pain before panting lightly. "P-Please. Don't hurt me." She whimpered, her entire body shaking in fear.

"We're not going to. We were the ones who saved you from that Granbull." Aura tried to explain in hopes she'd calm down.

"Here, if she came here looking for food, we might as well feed her." Dan suggested, bringing over a small bowl of the stew and kneeling down next to Diamond. The Buneary blinked in confusion as the human scooped up a spoonful of the food and held it to the Pokemon's mouth. "Go ahead."

Cautiously sniffing the food, Buneary slowly took a small bit of it into her mouth, pausing in shock from the flavour as she quickly swallowed and leaned over for another bite. Her fears pushed aside and almost immediately forgotten as she desperately satisfied her hunger.

Once the bowl had been emptied, Buneary let out a sigh and looked around at the group, now sitting on a small cushion between Aura and Diamond. "Thank you for helping me." She said while poking her paws together. "And I'm sorry for attacking you earlier."

Aura waved his hand, "It's no big deal. You were just scared is all, makes sense considering you were just being attacked before we found you."

"Do you have a name?" Diamond asked, eating more of the stew.

Buneary lowered her head, "Kind of. My old trainer never gave me a name, but one of his Pokemon would call me Lilly after after they found me in a flower bush."

"Old trainer? So you were abandoned?" Aura asked in shock.

Lilly nodded, "He abandoned me because I had wouldn't evolve and had trouble keeping up with the rest of his team. I wasn't with them for long, but It's been hard trying to survive in the wild after already being weak from the training he made me do."

"I'm sorry that happened to you." Aura sighed, "It's disgusting how selfish people can be. Abandoning a Pokemon just because of the way they evolve?"

"Why don't you catch her then?" They turned around to look at Tia as she meekly lowered her head. "I-I mean. You took me in after I almost killed you, and you were still kind to me. Maybe Lilly could come with and have a better life?"

Aura looked down at Lilly with the rabbit returning his gaze. "Would you be okay with joining us, Lilly? It's up to you."

The Buneary felt a tear in her eye as she eagerly nodded, "I'd be happy to be your Pokemon. I wouldn't be able to survive out here in the wild alone, and if I were to be caught by anyone, I'd want it to be you."

Everyone couldn't help but smile. Aura felt a tug on his shirt, turning to see Diamond standing behind him with one of his empty Pokeballs in her paw. She lightly blushed, "I was honestly hoping to ask her myself, so I got one out while you were setting up the tent."

Aura snickered as he took the ball and reached up to rub the fox's head, "You really do know me well." Turning back to Lilly, Aura held the ball in his hand and smiled, "You ready?" Receiving a nod from the rabbit, Aura lightly tossed the ball toward her, Lilly reaching out with one ear and pressing the button on the front. In a flash of red light, the ball popped open and pulled in the normal-type, clicking shut with a "ding" and falling to ground.

Aura picked up the ball and happily grinned at it, "Welcome to the family, Lilly." He whispered, Diamond appearing just as happy behind her trainer. With a new member to the team, it wasn't long before everyone had decided it was time to turn in for the night.

While the two trainers returned their Pokemon for the night, Tia had other plans in mind. "Excuse me, Aura. Would it be alright if I stayed out here tonight?" Tia's request was met with a look of confusion from the trainer, "I'm worried those Pokemon that were attacking Lilly might come back. I though I could keep watch for the night just in case."

Aura looked back towards the woods and thought about it, "You have a point, Tia. That Granbull did say it wasn't over, but are you okay with staying up all night alone?"

Tia nodded, "It shouldn't be a problem. Dark-types often prefer to be up at night anyways."

"Alright then. I'll throw a bit more wood on the fire for you then." Getting a thankful nod from the Absol, Aura knelt by the campfire and started adding some small twigs and logs, just enough to keep it burning for at least a few hours, "If it starts to die, just toss in a few twigs if you need, okay?"

Tia sat next to the flame and bowed, "Thank you, Aura. Good night."

"You too." Letting out a yawn, the trainer stepped toward his and Diamond's tent and reached for the loose canvas flaps, but he suddenly froze with wide eyes as he felt like something wasn't right. Before he could even question it, he sensed something nearby that left him with one thought. Danger.

Following his senses, Aura whipped his hand out to his right with a translucent blue barrier appearing in the air around him and the tent just in time to disrupt a huge blast of fire shot from within the dark forest. Hearing the commotion, Diamond ran out of the tent while Tia jumped up from beside the fire and stood next to her trainer.

"What's going on?!" They heard Dan call as he crawled out of his tent with Nessa and Spyke at his sides, although immediately he was surrounded by multiple Houndour and Electrike snarling with a hungry look in their eyes.

"Looks like Tia had the right idea after all. That Granbull's back for more!" Aura exclaimed, the barrier vanishing as the Granbull trudged out from the woods with even more Houndour and Electrike at it's sides. "Stan, Prince, help out Dan!" Tossing the two Pokeballs into the air, white flashes of light shot toward the surrounded trainer with the two Pokemon appearing in front of him.

Growling loudly, Granbull started towards Aura with a predatory glare in it's eyes. It barked out in anger with the Houndour behind it opening their maws and releasing swirling streams of fire around the clearing, raising a wall of fire that trapped them all within.

"Do what you wish to the other pests! But these three are mine!" Granbull roared, the remaining Electrike and Houndour running to the others while Granbull continued towards Aura, Tia, and Diamond.

"You guys ready for another fight?" The girls nodded. "Alright then. Tia, use Slash! Diamond, use Psybeam!"

Leaping forward, Tia's horn glowed white as Diamond prepared to unleash a pink beam of energy behind her. The Granbull scowled at them, taking a deep breath, Granbull flung it's head forward to release an ear-splitting Roar attack.

Tia let out a howl of pain with her horn returning to normal as the powerful soundwaves pushed her back. "Are you okay, Tia?" Aura called. The Absol let out a grunt as she pushed herself off the ground.

A second later, Diamond fired off her Psybeam over the Absol's shoulder toward the bulldog Pokemon, this time scoring a successful hit against it and hearing a cry of pain. Diamond confidently smirked knowing the power of the attack, but her expression suddenly changed to one of shock as a thin purple beam fired off from the cloud of smoke, nailing the fox directly in the chest and knocking her off her feet.

Aura called to her in concern as she lay on her back groaning in pain. "Pathetic!" Aura turned back to the cloud of smoke to see the Granbull standing almost unfazed by the attack. As the bulky canine started to trudge toward them again, Aura backed away and hurried to Diamond's side, helping the Braixen up while she held her head in pain.

Aura held out his hand with a blue sphere forming in his palm. "Back off, now!" The fairy-type scowled at him. Letting out another roar, it slammed it's fist into the ground causing a line of sparkling blue rocks to shoot up from the ground towards them. Knowing he couldn't escape the attack, Aura fired off the Aura Sphere and immediately wrapped his arms around Diamond. "Please work!" Closing his eyes, a blue glow surrounded both him and Diamond just as the pair took the powerful Stone Edge attack and were flung across the campsite. Thankfully though, the ball of energy Aura launched hit it's mark and exploded against the dog, sending it rolling back as well.

Aura slowly pushed himself up with Diamond groaning underneath him. He winced as he wiped a bit of blood from his cheek. "You'll regret doing that!" They heard the Granbull bark, looking over to see it standing up with a painful scowl on it's face. Off to the side, Tia let out a howl as she dove toward it with her horn glowing light-purple.

An agonizing scream rang through the air with a loud crunching sound. "Tia!" Aura called. Granbull smirked with it's fist firmly planted into the side of the Absol's face, a barrage of punches and kicks followed suit as a cloud of smoke formed around the two with more and more pain filled cries rang out. Finally, the smoke vanished as Granbull delivered one last kick to the Absol's side, sending her bouncing across the clearing with dirt and bruises covering her body.

"It's over for you!" Granbull reeled it's head back with a ball of yellow energy forming in it's maw. About to unleash a powerful Hyper Beam to finish them off, Aura tightly held Diamond as he prepared for the worst, but it didn't come.

Out of nowhere, a crescent-like blade of purple energy crashed into the canine's back, forcing it to let out a cry of pain and throw of it's aim, unleashing the yellow beam directly into the sky overhead. The Granbull heavily panted from the huge release of energy and turned around with a scowl. Weakly pushing herself up, Tia panted as she glared at the wild Pokemon.

The Absol's fur stood on end as an ominous red glow outlined her body. "I won't let you hurt my family any more!" Feeling a wave of anguish course through her body, Tia took a deep breath before letting out a distorted high-pitched howl with dark crimson sound waves resonating through the air.

The Granbull let out a howl of pure suffering as it desperately covered it's ear in absolute agony. Finally ceasing her howl, Tia's horn glowed bright purple before she let out a loud bark and threw her head to the side, firing another crescent-like blade at the suffering Granbull and causing a massive eruption of debris that launched the Pokemon skyward and deep into the forest.

Realizing their leader had been defeated, the Houndour and Electrike that hadn't been knocked out began gathering their fallen allies and retreated back into the woods, the ring of fire dying down shortly after their departure. Free from the Pokemon, Dan and the other Pokemon hurried over to Aura's side while Tia slowly limped over.

"You guys alright?" Dan asked.

Aura nodded with Diamond quietly groaning in his arms. "I'm okay, but Diamond could probably use some medicine." The fox let out another groan as she rubbed her head.

As Dan hurried back to his tent to grab his medical supplies, Stan rushed over to Tia and helped her back to the others. The Absol winced as she sat down with quiet whine. "Thank you." She whispered. The Luxio bowed his head and glanced at the dying fire.

Stepping closer, Stan took a few pieces of wood in his mouth and tossed them into the circle of stones, releasing a steady bolt of electricity at the kindling with a small flame building from the ashes.

Dan quickly returned with a white box in his hands and kneeled down by the fire. He clicked open the box and removed a white bottle with a blue lid, "These painkillers should tie you guys over for now," he handed the bottle to Aura and resumed digging through the container, "I'll get started on brewing some tea that should help sooth more of the pain and help clear out any bacteria."

Aura lowered his head in thanks and popped open the pill bottle. He shook out a few of the tablets and gave them to the Pokemon before taking one himself. After a minute of silence, Aura looked over to Tia and smiled, "Thanks for saving us, Tia. And you even learned how to use Perish Song."

The Absol meekly smirked from the praise, "I'd do anything to protect my family," she muttered.

"Alright everyone, the tea is ready. It'll make you a bit sleepy as well so it should be easier to sleep through the pain." Pouring the herbal concoction into some small cups and bowls, Dan passed them around to everyone and started packing up his first-aid kit.

"Here, Diamond." Aura held the cup to the fox's lips and carefully tilt it so she could drink easier. Once her cup had been emptied, Aura quickly drank his own before slowly standing up with Diamond cradled in his arms and bringing her into the tent. He reemerged shortly after with the others' Pokeballs in his hands, "You guys get some rest too, we'll head out first thing tomorrow and get you all properly treated at the Pokemon Center."

After returning the three of his Pokemon and setting them inside his tent, Aura sighed and walked toward the edge of the clearing.

"What are you doing?" Dan asked, returning his Pokemon as well.

Aura knelt down by the singed grass, "Just checking to see if the fire they surrounded us with is completely gone." He pinched the blackened ground and noted the warmth around it, "I think we're safe for the night, but we should let someone know about this once we get to Geosenge Town in the morning."

"Good idea. But right now we should get some sleep, it's been an interesting night and we need to get up early to get going." Dan walked over to his tent and stepped in, turning around for a moment to say goodnight while Aura did the same. Finally getting some well-deserved rest so they can get an early start come morning.

* * *

 **Honestly I'd been having trouble deciding on how to introduce Lilly into the story, but I'm happy with how it turned out.**

 **Thanks for reading, and hopefully you enjoyed the chapter and the story thus far. I appreciate helpful feedback and seeing what you all think of the story. I make sure to read reviews and respond to them if possible.**

 **Until next time. ~Aura**


	31. Chapter 31

**Sorry it took longer than expected to get this out, I've been very distracted by Stardew Valley and with how hot it's been getting it's been hard to feel the proper motivation, one huge reason why I'm not a fan of summer… Anyway, I'll try to get most of next chapter written and hopefully posted shortly after the end of the month if possible, but if I'm late on chapters during the summer then blame nature.**

* * *

 **Chapter 31: Hiking Hassle**

"Thank you for coming to see us." A voice called out as the doors to the police station slid open; Aura, Diamond, and Dan all walking out and waving back to the officer at the desk.

"So, now that the police will deal with the Granbull and hopefully make sure a fire doesn't break out from the fight last night, let's get to the Pokemon Center and check in for the night." Dan suggested.

"Yeah, I wanna get everyone checked on as soon as we can." Aura looked at Diamond, the Braixen having regained most of her energy thanks to the medicine Dan made, although she still seemed a bit drained walking beside them. "Are you sure you don't want me to carry you?" He asked.

Diamond flinched and looked up with a tired smile, "Y-yeah. I'm okay, Aura. Thank you."

Aura doubtfully sighed and looked forward again. Obviously Diamond just didn't want him to worry, but it would have made him feel much better to just carry her instead. He glanced at her again, although she would quietly wince in pain and slightly falter her steps, she had made it to town nonetheless. The trio walked down the narrow cobblestone path to the small Pokemon Center, only being about three stories instead of five and less than a quarter the size of the Center in Cyllage City.

Passing through the automatic doors, they headed up to the counter where a Nurse Joy stood with a smile. "Welcome to the Pokemon Center. How can we help you?"

"We'd like to rent a couple rooms for the night and have our Pokemon looked at, we ran into some trouble with a Granbull last night and they took quite the beating."

Nurse Joy nodded in understanding, "Of course, we'll have them looked at right away. And your rooms?"

"Two single rooms would be perfect." Aura clarified. After quickly scanning their IDs and receiving their keys, a Wigglytuff came around the corner pushing a gurney with a few trays attached. Aura took the four Pokeballs currently occupied from his belt and set them in one of the trays, Dan doing the same with his three while Diamond timidly walked over to the side of the cart after giving Aura her bag and necklace, though keeping her little studs in her ears. "I'll be waiting out here until your done, don't worry." He told her, holding her cheek as she meekly nodded. Diamond may not be as shy as she used to be, nor was she afraid of going with the nurses, she just wasn't too keen on being around others without Aura close by, even if it was only to get herself healed.

As Aura watched Diamond round the corner with Wigglytuff and Nurse Joy, he kept his word and walked over to the waiting area, plopping down on one of the sofas with his and Diamond's bags set on the floor by his feet. After only a couple minutes, Aura heard a soft tune play from a speaker and looked up, he smiled as Nurse Joy rounded the corner with Wigglytuff and Diamond walking at her sides, Wigglytuff pushing a cart with Pokeballs placed within.

The two trainers stood and headed over to retrieve their Pokemon, Diamond picking up her pace towards Aura and looking up at him like a happy child. "Thank you, Nurse Joy." Dan said, him and Aura taking their Pokeballs from the trays.

Nurse Joy bowed politely, "Of course. Have a nice day." She returned to the desk while Wigglytuff retreated into a back room with the tray.

"What are we doing for today?" Diamond asked as they headed upstairs.

Aura smiled. "I kind of want to take look around town for a bit. Not much to do really for the most part, but while Dan and I were waiting for you guys to be healed, I read in a pamphlet that Geosenge Town is known for the rare stones that are found in the area."

Dan chuckled, "Maybe we'd even be lucky enough to find a Mega Stone." Glancing over, he noticed a slightly perplexed look on Aura's face. "You've never heard of Mega Stones?"

Aura shrugged as they reached the top of the stairs, "I've heard of them, even saw some used in tournaments on TV, but I don't think we'd just happen to come across one while in town."

"Couldn't hurt to dream." Dan nudged him with a grin. Aura mearly rolled his eyes and smirked as they came up on their rooms. Parting for a few minutes as they dropped off their belongings in their suites, they all met back in the hallway before returning to the lobby and leaving the Pokemon Center.

On their way out, Aura grabbed one of the small pamphlets that contained a map of the town and a short list of the town's attractions, a small marking in the top left corner caught the trainer's eye, "Check this out, there's a path along the mountain that's supposed to be a good place for finding evolution stones and sometimes even fossils."

Dan leaned over and looked at the spot Aura held his finger, "Sounds cool, and who knows, maybe we _will_ find a Mega Stone."

Aura smirked at his friend, "I kind of doubt it, but only one way to say for sure." He returned his gaze to the map as they walked along the cobblestone road, "Says here there's a shop near the peak where you can get a photo taken and even buy evolution stones people have found and sold to them."

Dan shrugged, "Too bad none of our Pokemon evolve with a stone, but it'd still be cool if we found one."

"That it would. But even if we don't find one, it'd probably be nice for everyone else to stretch their legs." Aura folded the brochure and looked down at Diamond, the fox curiously looking around at the many standing boulders while quietly rubbing the gem in her necklace.

Taking their time to walk through the small town, it wasn't long before they reached the start to the mountain trail near the back woods. At once, Aura and Dan held out their Pokeballs and released their Pokemon, briefly explaining what they were doing.

"So, you guys ready for a hike?" Aura asked excitedly, already being one to enjoy outdoor scenery.

Stan squinted and tilt his head, "Why are we hiking? Didn't we just get to town this morning?" The Luxio flinched as he felt a jab against his side, blinking as Tia quietly glared at him for his rudeness with her tail firmly held at his ribs, thankfully her tail was actually quite dull despite it's sword-like appearance.

Their interaction went unnoticed by Aura as he looked over the others and continued to explain. "We're not just doing this for the hike itself, this mountain is actually a really good place to find rare stones as well, so we might find some on our way up."

Although the thought of finding rare stones may not have been as impressive to all of them, they still agreed with their trainers as they were mainly just happy to spend time together. The mountain was in no way the largest in the region, but the path was still rather long and took quite a while before they reached the halfway point of the trail where thankfully the town had set up a fountain to drink from and a few tables to eat at before continuing the trek.

Deciding to stop for a few minutes to make use of the rest stop, Aura and Dan began unpacking a few snacks from their bags while their Pokemon admired the expansive view from high above the town below. Lilly in particular was in absolute awe as she peered over the landscape from under the metal guard rails.

"It's lovely, isn't it." She heard a voice, looking back to see Tia walk over and sit beside the rabbit. "It reminds me a lot of my old home."

"Your old home?" Lilly glanced up at the Absol, who just continued to look off into the distance.

"I've been alone for many moons before meeting Aura. I was miserable, angry, vengeful…" She let out a heavy sigh and lowered her head, "Sorry, I didn't mean to ruin the mood. I'm still getting used to being around others again."

Lilly kindly held her paw against Tia's leg, "It's okay. I won't pry into your private life, but if you want someone to talk to then I'd be more than happy to lend you an ear." She said, wiggling her long ears to emphasize her point. Tia smiled and thanked the rabbit, grateful she had one more friend to help her cope.

"Guys, lunch is ready!" Aura called. The two looked back, glancing at one another for a moment before heading toward the picnic table.

After their short lunch and with their water bottles refilled, the group continued their hike towards the summit of the mountain; however, not long after walking another quarter of the trail, the rough shouts of a man rang from a small opening followed by a terrified shriek as a mass of brown fur tumbled out onto the path.

"That little fuck bit me!" They heard another man shouting.

Without uttering a word, Aura and Dan looked at each other and nodded, Dan running to the Eevee's side while Aura skidded to a halt at the small cave's entrance. "Hey! What the hell's going on?!" He shouted. The cave was dim, but the light from the sun was just enough to see two men in leather jackets and torn jeans standing in front of a cowering little pink-haired girl, her yellow dress covered in mud and partially torn as tears rolled down her face.

The man on the left scowled and reached for his belt, "Get lost, punk! This is none of your business!"

"I beg to differ, now stop harassing that girl or else!" Aura threatened, each of his Pokemon standing by his sides making a sort of barricade along the opening. The little girl sniffled and peaked over her arm, behind the trainer and Pokemon at the mouth of the cave she saw the little Eevee being treated by another trainer.

The man on the right scoffed with a pulse of anger visible on his forehead, "You think we're scared of some punk little brat?! You're a fucking idiot!" Both men quickly threw out a Pokeball each with a Poliwrath appearing on the left and a Shiftry appearing on the right.

Diamond felt herself physically fuming from hearing them insult her mate, this anger passing on to Aura as well with his eyes glowing faintly blue. "You asked for it." Aura scowled.

"Poliwrath! Hydro Pump!"

"Shiftry! Leaf Storm!"

Flexing it's arms, Poliwrath quickly unleashed a massive torrent of condensed water toward them, while Shiftry's fan-like hands shimmered before it swung them around with a huge spiral of leaves blasted alongside the Hydro Pump.

"Diamond, burn up those leaves! Lilly, freeze the water!" Flicking her twig like a wand, Diamond unleashed a blast of fire into the swirling leaves. Next to her, Lilly took in a deep breath with a light blue glow forming in her mouth, firing off the light blue beam of sub-zero energy and completely freezing the water, causing it to suddenly shatter into tiny pieces.

"You little- Shiftry, Leaf Blade!" The grass-type crossed it's arms in front of it's face with the leaves suddenly flashing white and forming into long blades, it let out a cry as it sped forward with it's feet clacking against the stone floor.

"Prince, counter it with Blaze Kick! Tia, back him up with Slash!" The appendages on the Riolu's head momentarily lifted while a raging fire engulfed his leg, he sprinted forward as Tia hurried behind him with her horn glowing white. Pushing off the ground, Prince twirled in the air before delivering a skillful back kick to the Shiftry, breaking his defenses and allowing Tia to land a finishing strike to the grass-type.

The man on the left glared at the one on the right, "You fucking dumb-ass! Can't you ever do anything right?!" The man on the right was about to argue, but the other man paid no mind as he ordered his Poliwrath to attack with another Hydro Pump.

"Intercept it with Spark!" Stan's body began to crackle and flicker with electricity, and once he was completely enveloped by the intense voltage, the Luxio dove toward the stream of water and braced himself. Immediately, massive bolts traveled across the conductive water and surged throughout the tadpole's whole body as it cried in agony, soon falling on it's back with small sparks jumping across it's skin.

The man was frozen in disbelief. "Gah! This isn't over fucker!" He shouted. Reaching into his jacket pocket, the man swiftly pulled out a switch blade and charged forward. Aura's eyes flashed momentarily as he watched the man approach. He calmly planted his right foot forward and just as the man was in reach, Aura skillfully grabbed his arm, twisted it, and lifted the man over his head, slamming him down on his back against the solid floor and eliciting a painful shout followed by quiet groaning from the thug.

Aura glared at the man with his eyes returning to normal, "You've made a huge mistake." He turned back to the inside of the cave to see the other man kneeling by his Shiftry and staring at Aura with fearful eyes. "Are you gonna try something too? Or are you gonna be good and wait for police to arrive?"

The man gulped, looking down at his Shiftry with a sigh, he returned it and calmly stayed on his knees in the middle of the cave. "I don't care anymore, my Shiftry deserves a better life anyways."

Aura blinked a bit surprised. Was this crook really giving up so easily? He shook his head and walked forward, Diamond reached out worried and grabbed his shirt, "What are you going to do?"

He looked down at her, then over to the small girl who had stopped crying and just silently stared at him. "Don't worry," was all he said as he just continued walking, Diamond followed close, but stepped a bit further away as they passed the defeated crook on the ground. Stopping in front of the girl, Aura kneeled down and held out his hand, "It's going to be alright. Now let's get you to your Eevee." The girl widened her eyes for a second and nodded, sniffling as she took Aura's hand and let him lead her out to the cave entrance. "How's the Eevee doing?" He asked as they approached Dan.

The trainer looked over and smiled, "She'll be perfectly fine, just a few bruises and a fractured ankle, but since she's a Pokemon it will only take about a week at the latest to fully recover, a few days even if she gets the proper attention." Dan looked at the girl who continued to stare at the Eevee. He smiled and scooted over, "Come on, sit here while Aura calls someone to deal with those guys." The little girl looked up at Aura then crouched down next to the brown fox.

After instructing his Pokemon to keep watch over the two men, Aura did as Dan said and pulled out his phone, tapping the emergency icon and connecting with the nearest police office. With a short explanation of their location and the emergency to be dealt with, Aura thanked the person and hung up. "Alright, police should be here in a few minutes, but they asked if we could stay put until they arrive. Until then," Aura slipped off his bag and pulled out a sandwich wrapped in plastic, holding it out to the little girl with a smile, "want something to eat?"

She glanced between him and the sandwich for a second, soon taking the food and holding it, "Thank you… Thank you for saving me." She said, looking up to Aura with a few tears in her eyes.

"No problem, we weren't going to just let those jerks do what they wanted." He looked over to Prince, Stan, and Tia standing around the two men at the cave's entrance. "I'm glad we decided to go on this walk."

A short time later, they heard the sounds of approaching vehicles, seeing a single police cruiser slow to a stop a little ways away with a woman in blue stepping from the driver's side. "Are you the ones who called?" She asked, slamming the door shut after a Manectric jumped out behind her.

"Yes, thank you for coming so soon, Officer Jenny." Aura stood up and approached her, explaining what happened before helping her get the crooks to the car.

"Thank you for your help today, you're a good kid for doing this," she praised. Jenny glanced to the little girl who now held her Eevee in her lap. "Can I trust you to get Amelia home to her father."

Aura turned and blinked, "You know that little girl?" He asked.

Jenny chuckled, "Yes, her father is a well known photographer and geologist who lives near the summit of this mountain. I assume you were hiking to his shop, correct?" Aura shrugged. "Don't worry, it's not too far away. I've got to get these crooks down to the station, but thank you again for the call." With a polite bow, Jenny returned to her cruiser with her Manectric and headed back down the mountain.

"Well, I guess it's time we get going then," he looked down at Amelia and grinned, squatting down to scratch Eevee's head, "Your dad must be worried, let's get you back as soon as we can." He told her. Nodding happily, Amelia and Eevee smiled at each other and stood up while Aura and Dan quickly packed their things.

Approaching the end of the trail, they could see a small rustic shop near the back of the wide plateau. Sitting at a small table on the shop's deck, a bulky man in a white t-shirt quietly fiddled with pieces of a camera.

"Daddy!" Amelia called. The man looked up from his camera and froze wide eyed as his daughter hurried over with Eevee in her arms.

"Amelia!" Her father cried, standing from his seat and kneeling down as his daughter ran toward him. He embraced her and Eevee as the young girl started to happily cry. "You know better than to run off down the mountain alone!

She pulled back and wiped her eyes, "I'm okay, Daddy. These people helped me!" She turned around and pointed toward the approaching trainers.

"So you were the ones who helped my daughter?" The man asked, standing up as Aura politely smiled.

"Yeah. She was in a bit of a bind when we came along, but we dealt with the situation." He held out his hand and introduced himself and his Pokemon, Dan doing the same right after.

The man took Aura's hand and smiled, "It's a pleasure to meet you all, my name is Gerard. Officer Jenny called me earlier and told me everything." Gerard pulled his daughter close and smiled, "I can't thank you enough for saving Amelia, since we buy and sell a lot of rare stones up here, we also get some less-than-friendly people in the area. Is there any way I can repay you for this? Perhaps a free stone from my shop?"

Aura laughed and pulled Diamond close to his side as well, making the fox let out a quiet "eep" and blush. "Truth be told, we came on this hike just to see the view and to relax a bit."

"Don't forget the evolution stones." Dan chimed in with a grin.

Aura just rolled his eyes, "That too. But it was mostly for the scenery." He looked off into the distance, "So there's no need to repay us, we're just glad we could help."

Gerard rubbed his chin, "Well since you came all this way for the scenery, why not at least take a photo to remember it? I assume you've read about the service in that pamphlet in your pocket." Aura blinked and looked at his side, seeing the pamphlet sticking halfway out of his pocket, only now realizing the photo on the cover was of this very shop.

"I don't see why not. It'd be nice to have a way to remember this by." Dan said.

Gerard laughed and turned to his table, "Alright then, let me just get my camera ready and we'll get started."

As her father quickly reassembled his camera, Amelia looked down at her Eevee for a moment and walked up to Aura shyly. "Um… Excuse me?" Aura looked down at her and tilted his head, kindly asking her what she wanted. "Could we be in the picture too?" She asked.

Aura blinked and smiled at the little girl. He kneeled down and happily nodded his head, "If you want to, then we'd be happy to have you in it. This way we can remember more than just the view. Right guys?" Aura turned to his Pokemon and received a nod from each of them.

Amelia smiled with a tear in her eye. "Thank you. When I grow up, I wanna be a strong trainer like you!" She exclaimed, looking down at Eevee who happily let out a cry of approval.

"Alright, camera's ready so let's get started." Gerard stepped up to them and gestured over to a section of the cliff where a few stools, chairs, and benches were all clustered together. "Let's head over to that spot and get everyone set up, yeah?"

Nodding in agreement, everyone followed Gerard to the cliff and helped him set out a few stools and benches, one right in the center for his daughter after learning she would be in the photo as well.

"Everyone ready?" Gerard asked, his camera set up on a tripod a few meters away with a printer-like machine set up next to it. With a collective "ready!" from everyone, Gerard began to count down and take the picture. A mechanical sound came from the machine as it began to print three copies of the photo, Gerard quickly taking them as soon as they were ready and walking over to the others.

"This looks great." Dan said after receiving his copy, Gerard handing one to Aura as well.

"Thanks for these, Gerard." Aura said, holding his copy down so his Pokemon could see it too.

Gerard rubbed his head, "It's nothing, really. The least I could do after you saved my Daughter is make sure you get some high quality photos."

After putting their pictures into special casing to keep them from bending, Aura, Dan, and their Pokemon started making their way down the trail, looking back to Gerard and Amelia and waving goodbye. Once the group was no longer visible, Amelia looked down at her picture with a large smile, hoping that one day she will meet her heroes again.

* * *

 **Okay, I realize the ending sucks, but it pretty much gets the point across of what I wanted to do and I was rushing to get it done since it's been taking way too long. Anywho, I need to get this edited and posted as soon as I can so I'll just leave it at this.**

 **Thanks for reading, and hopefully you enjoyed the chapter and the story thus far. I appreciate helpful feedback and seeing what you all think of the story. I make sure to read reviews and respond to them if possible.**

 **Until next time. ~Aura**


	32. Chapter 32

**Again, I was expecting this to be a short chapter, yet I end up going on longer than I wanted to. Oh well. Might as well get on with it.**

 **Still no new reviews to respond to so I won't delay the chapter any longer than I'd like to, hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 32: The Powers of Friendship**

Quietly sitting at his desk in the expansive office, Lucas swirled the cocktail in his glass before taking a quick swig, setting it down with a quiet clink as he reached for the bottle of whiskey and refilled the cup.

Lucas paused with the drink to his lips when a knock rang from the doors, "You may enter." He called, setting the glass down and sitting up as the large double-doors swung open. A woman in a black business outfit stepped inside with a pair of men clad in identical grey jumpsuits following behind, cautiously examining the room around them.

The men stopped a few feet from the desk when Lucas raised his hand, the woman on the other hand continued walking to the side of the desk, turning to face the men as well. The room was silent save for the ticking of the large grandfather clock in the corner, the man on the left finally spoke up, "So, your the guy who needed some extra hands?" He asked, brushing his swampy-green hair aside.

Lucas simply nodded, "That is correct. I am in need of individuals with your ability." He stood from his seat and walked around the desk, "You see, I've taken notice of the work you two do as poachers, and it is quite rare of me to think this way of such beings."

The green-haired man scowled, "So what is it you want us to do?"

Lucas chuckled, "It's simple really, all you need to do is wait at the Northern exit of Reflection Cave and intercept any trainers who pass through to Shalour City and relieve them of their Pokemon, think you can manage that?"

The two men looked at one another and smirked, the man on the right nodded with his brown hair falling out of place, "Of course we can handle it, it's just doing what we normally do."

Lucas nodded and returned to his seat, "Good. If you do manage to be successful, then I may consider recruiting you as permanent members of Team Flare." He looked at the woman and nodded, the woman returning the gesture and walking to a nearby shelf where she retrieved a mahogany lock-box and brought it to the men. "These should guarantee your success, a Manectric capable of Mega Evolution, as well as a special kind of stone." The woman opened the box and held it out for the men to take the Pokeball and the strange crimson stone from the case. "Oh, and one last thing before you go. There's one trainer you _will_ not engage with, he is more powerful than you two could ever imagine."

The men looked at each other confused, "Alright then, but how will we know what trainer you're talking about?"

"Simple, this trainer is currently traveling with a Braixen wearing a diamond necklace." Lucas scowled and tightened his fists, "I still have some unfinished business with that boy." Releasing his grip, Lucas dropped into his chair and sighed, "Now, off with you two, and remember: failure is _not_ an option!"

With their tasks laid out for them, the two men followed the woman as she escorted them out of the office and down the hall. "We will supply you two with some extra gear before dropping you off at the destination. Got it?" The men nodded and were soon geared up and off to Reflection Cave.

* * *

After spending the night in Geosenge Town, Aura and the others were making their way through Reflection Cave to reach their next destination: Shalour City.

Over the few hours they spent walking through the dimly lit caverns, Diamond and Lilly had started to fall behind a bit as they constantly stopped to marvel at the glittering crystals and stones lining every surface of the cave. Meanwhile, Prince had also taken up the rear as he couldn't help but feel something was off, although he was unable to sense anything harmful nearby, he still chose to keep his guard up just in case.

"Ooh~ Look at this one!" Lilly cooed as her and Diamond paused to examine a bright pink crystal jutting from the cave wall.

Looking back at them, Aura let out a light sigh and shook his head with a smirk, "Glad to see Lilly is adapting well, her and Diamond already seem pretty close." Spotting a bright light up ahead, the group came to a halt as Aura turned around and called to the other three. "Come on, guys! I think we found the exit!"

The three Pokemon looked over to their trainer and nodded, but just as they were about to catch up with them, they froze in place as a large net made of thick black wire suddenly dropped from the ceiling above the others and pushed them to the ground, the iron balls at the edges causing multiple booming sounds to echo through the tunnels.

"Aura!" they all called, rushing to aid their friends only to suddenly be blasted back by a barrage of intense lightning bolts from nowhere. As the three Pokemon lay across the cave floor, a large Pokemon with blue fur and yellow spikes along it's back had jumped out from behind a corner, slowly edging it's way toward them as a pair of men stepped out behind it. They both wore similar dark-grey jumpsuits with combat knifes strapped to their shoulders and black combat boots.

Dan's eyes widened, "A Mega Manectric?! That must have been it's Discharge attack!" he said in worry and surprise.

"What the hell is going on?!" Aura spat, trying to lift the heavy net off of them to no avail.

One of the men, having long swampy-green hair, just looked down at Aura and grinned, "It's business, kid. You wouldn't understand." The man let out a gruff laugh and dropped a black duffel bag onto the ground, "Now, hand over all your Pokemon or else!"

Aura scowled at the man and gripped the ropes tightly, "Not a damn chance! Tia, cut us out of here with Slash!" He said. The Absol let out a low growl with her horn glowing white, however, as she forced her horn against the ropes, they almost seemed to glow a bit before everyone let out cries of pain as crimson sparks violently surged from the netting and engulfed them all in a bright flash. Lilly, Prince, and Diamond all shuddered from the echoing cries.

The green-haired man laughed again, "Gotta love the equipment they gave us for this. Try all you want, but you ain't cuttin' through that wire!"

Over by the Manectric, the other man with messy brown hair had suddenly froze in place as he watched the three Pokemon slowly push themselves back up, his gaze falling on the Braixen in particular. "Uh… Adam? I think we made a mistake." He stuttered; although it was dark in the cave, he swore he saw a glint near the Braixen's chest.

"What the hell's your problem, Nathan? What mistake could we have possibly made here?!" He snapped, turning to see his partner shivering as the Pokemon slowly got to their feet using the cave walls for support. The brown-haired man pointed to the Braixen and gulped, Adam realizing what he meant and scowling in response, "Idiot! Just because this kid's got a Braixen don't mean he's the one! Besides," Adam looked down at the net, "that guy said the trainer was like super powerful or some shit, meanwhile all I see are a couple of weak little brats who can't even escape a net!" Lifting his leg, the man slammed his foot down against Aura's back, eliciting another shout of pain from the trainer as he swore through his teeth.

("Get away from him…") the men heard a female voice say in their minds. Looking around, they spotted the Braixen barely standing on her own and glaring at them with her eyes vibrantly glowing scarlet red. Still collecting their strength, Prince and Lilly remained on their knees and watched Diamond slowly drop her bag behind her, a few black spots burnt into the protective lining. ("I said, get away from him!") She threatened the men telepathically.

"Diamond! Stay back!" Aura called, seeing his mate painfully forcing herself to stand and defend them.

The green-haired man turned and scowled, "Shut it, kid!" He lifted a little black device from his pocket and pressed the red button on top, sending a massive bolt of electricity through the netting once again. With a smirk, he turned back to Diamond and held out his hand, "Stay out of our way! Manectric, Discharge!"

Letting out a low growl, sparks began to fly from the Manectric's mane while Diamond continued to hold her ground. With a loud bark, Manectric unleashed a barrage of bolts from it's mane that fired off in multiple directions, many colliding with the cave walls and causing rocks to fall, while some just narrowly missed directly striking Prince and Lilly, but within seconds, many of the wild blasts of lightning connected with their target, delivering massive damage to the Braixen as she screamed in pain from the electricity coursing through her.

After a few seconds the Discharge ceased and the Braixen wobbled back and forth with some of her fur slightly singed, they all watched in horror as she she slowly dropped to her knees and fell on her side, her necklace clinking against the cave's cold floor.

"Diamond!" Aura yelled, clenching his fists in anger. He looked up and glared at the men with pure rage, "You bastards!"

As the two men just glared back and laughed at Aura's misfortune, commenting on his pathetic excuses for Pokemon, Lilly and Prince were still frozen with their eyes on Diamond. A surge of emotions filled their minds as they looked over to their trainer, the two went wide eyed from the sight of large blue waves of energy emanating from him as his cries of sorrow and anger echoed in their thoughts.

All of a sudden, an orb of light appeared at their chests and floated up, shining brightly and catching the attention of everyone in the cave, even causing the Manectric to pause out of curiosity.

"What the hell's going on?!" The green-haired man sneered.

Lilly and Prince looked at each other, then to Diamond, then to their friends trapped within the net. It was clear to them what was occurring, and the two silently nodded and closed their eyes as nothing but joyful thoughts filled their minds. The orbs of light floated back to their chests and the two became completely enveloped in a white light, tears welled up in Aura's eyes as all the worry and sadness he felt in that moment had just vanished as he watched the two Pokemon's bodies grow in size and take on new forms.

The light suddenly burst from the duo's bodies, leaving everyone speechless as Prince and Lilly now stood in their fully evolved forms, Lucario and Lopunny.

"Amazing." Dan muttered.

Lilly and Prince opened their eyes and faced their trainer with loyal and determined eyes. With only a short nod, the two stepped forward and prepared to fight with the sole purpose of protecting their friends.

The men scowled at the duo, "If you think you'll be stronger than our Mega Manectric just by evolving, then you're pretty fucking stupid Pokemon!" The green-haired man sneered. "Manectric, take them out with Thunder!"

Charging electricity in it's mane, the moment it began flashing with sparks, Manectric let out a roar and unleashed a massive bolt of lightning at the two. Quick as they could, Lilly and Prince lunged to either side of the cavern as the Thunder shot past and obliterated a large stalagmite farther back.

The man stumbled back, "H-how the hell did they dodge it so easily?!" He shook his head, "No matter! If range won't work, get close with Fire Fang!" Flames burst from the side of Manectric's mouth as it opened, bright red fire covered it's fangs and left a trail of embers as it moved. The electric-type lowered it's body and immediately lunged in Lilly's direction.

Running at such a speed it became just a blue and yellow blur that would be near impossible to avoid, however, in an instant the Manectric had skid to a complete stop inches from the Rabbit Pokemon, it's burning fangs clasped around a glowing blue bone firmly held by the Lucario. Everyone was left shocked from the sight as none of them even saw the Lucario run into the fray.

Dan and Aura stared in awe at Prince's strength whilst he continued to hold off the Mega Manectric with Bone Rush, the sight felt a little ironic to Aura as it was very similar to how he had fended off against the Mightyena back when he first met Prince. And as if those were his intentions from the start, Prince let out a loud bark and abruptly twisted the bone which threw off the Manectric's balance, giving the Lucario the perfect opportunity to shift his weight and hurl the much larger and heavier Pokemon into a cluster of stalactites, causing them to fall with the canine and smash into it's body.

Prince dispelled the staff-like bone and backed away to Lilly's side with heavy breaths and sweat drenching the fur on his forehead. Lilly stepped up and held the jackal's shoulder, the two glancing at one another before returning their gaze to the pile of rocks and rubble, the two unfazed as the stones started shaking before a massive burst of electricity blasted the rocks away in all directions and the Manectric stood back up.

A few rocks shot past the men who immediately scowled at the Pokemon, "Watch where you fucking aim dammit!" The Manectric faced them and snarled, an ominous glow lining it's whole body as it snapped it's gaze back towards the duo.

Producing a shower of sparks from it's mane once again, the Manectric let out a howl as it's body became entirely enveloped in a flashing yellow and orange aura, then charging toward the two Pokemon once more; however, it had made a crucial error in that moment. Driven by anger and rage, the Pokemon ignored all sense of reason in it's mind as Prince conjured another staff-like bone in his paws, while Lilly took a deep breath and released a beam of flashing blue energy at the ground below, freezing it in a solid layer of ice.

Finally, just as the Manectric was about to collide with the two Pokemon, Lilly leaped backwards while Prince ducked down and swung his bone at the Mega Pokemon's legs, causing it to painfully face plant into the frozen floor and slide forward into a wall, completely disrupting the flowing energy of it's Wild Charge. Shaking off the pain, Manectric tried to stand only to loose it's footing and slip on the icy floor.

Taking their chance to finish the fight, Prince held his bone firmly as he lunged forward, splitting the one bone into two, and Lilly's legs began glowing white as she followed close beside the Lucario. Both at once, Prince began unleashing a flurry of blows with his Bone Rush while Lilly ducked down and suddenly sprang up at the Manectric's side, nailing the Pokemon directly in the ribs with her knee, slightly lifting it into the air as Prince dropped his bones and jumped up next to Lilly. His right leg suddenly burst into flames as him and Lilly delivered the final blow, combining their High Jump Kick and Blaze Kick, the two simultaneously slammed their legs into the Manectric and launched it across the cavern directly into the two men, carrying them along with it into the cave wall. A flash overcame Manectric as it reverted to it's original form with the two men unconscious below it.

With that threat now dealt with, Prince quickly returned to the net holding the others and effortlessly cut through the ropes with Metal Claw. Once they were all out, Aura rushed over to Diamond's side where Lilly already sat. "Diamond? Are you okay?" He asked.

A quiet groan came from her as she opened her eyes. Diamond struggled to move, but it was no use as her entire body had gone completely numb with waves sparks randomly jumping across her figure, revealing she had been severely paralyzed from the Manectric's Discharge.

Aura held her side gently, "Don't try to move, okay? I'll get a Potion and Paralyze Heal from my bag."

As Aura slipped off his bag and began digging through the medicine pouch, Dan came up and tapped his shoulder, "Not to be rude, but what are we gonna do about those guys?" He asked, pointing to the unconscious men under the Manectric.

Aura pulled out his phone and handed it over, "See if you can get a hold of the police in Shalour City." He glanced between Stan and Lilly, "You two help make sure they don't do anything if they wake up, got it?" The two nodded and followed behind Dan toward the men, Dan pausing for a moment to pick up the torn net to tie up the men for extra security. Returning to his bag, Aura finally pulled out the medicine and began to treat the Braixen's wounds, spraying the contents of the Potion onto her injuries.

Diamond grit her teeth and hissed from the stinging, although painful to an extent, she knew it was only the medicine taking effect and it would be over soon. She felt the spraying stop for a second as Dan returned Aura's cellphone, informing him the police would arrive in ten minutes to retrieve the men. Once Dan had gone back to watch over the two men, Aura continued to treat Diamond.

After Diamond's wounds had been treated and her Paralysis was swiftly recovering, Aura had lifted the fox's head into his lap for comfort as he quietly pet between her ears. He suddenly paused as Prince walked up to him with Diamond's backpack in his arms, "Thanks, Prince." The Lucario set the bag down and sat on his knees with his head hung low, Aura scratched his cheek confused, "Is something the matter?"

Prince stayed silent for a moment before lowering his head even further, "I'm sorry, Master Aura, I failed to prevent the attack on you and Diamond and everyone else." He bowed down even further as Aura just sat there blinking, "I should have sensed their intentions much sooner. I apologize for my mistake."

Aura stared at the jackal with a perplexed expression, "Prince, none of this is your fault, if anything it's thanks to you and Lilly that we're safe." The Lucario looked up to deny it, but Aura kept talking, "My abilities may still be weak, but not even I could sense anything at the time, so don't blame yourself for this. Besides, thanks to this encounter you and Lilly evolved, so think of this as a learning experience to help you grow; and you know what, after we get to Shalour City, we'll both work on strengthening our abilities."

Prince sat up with a look of shock and gratitude on his face, a smile tugged at his lips as he could physically feel the bond between him and Aura grow stronger just from his words. Blinking away a tear, Prince firmly nodded and bowed his head, "Thank you for your kindness, Master Aura. I'm honored to be your Pokemon and will do my best to become as strong as I can."

Aura sighed and shook his head with a grin, "Then let's do our best together."

The ten minutes had gone by quick with Diamond fully recovering from the paralysis, although it saddened her when she noticed her necklace chain had been partially damaged by the electricity, cheering up as Aura offered to have it fixed while in Shalour City. Soon enough they all heard the echo of nearing vehicles and slamming doors come from the cave's exit, a woman and three men all dressed in blue uniforms running in with flashlights and guns at the ready. "Are you the ones who called us?" Jenny asked, holstering her gun and clicking off her light.

Dan walked over and waved his hand, "That would be me, thanks for coming."

"Of course, and thank you for incapacitating the perpetrators. If you'd please show us to them we can get them hauled off to prison as soon as possible." Receiving a nod from Dan, Jenny ordered the men to follow and they made quick work of carrying the men out of the cave. "Thanks again for the help, these men had been wanted for poaching but it's been hard to keep track of them lately."

Waving it off, Aura and Dan followed Jenny out of the cave with their Pokemon close behind, and what they saw left them all amazed. What could only be a thirty minute walk down a grassy slope, they saw the beautiful seaside spectacle of Shalour City.

* * *

The office had remained quiet for hours as Lucas just continued to drink his cocktails with nothing more than his thoughts keeping him busy. A knocking at his door caught his attention, Flare slowly poked her head up from her heated blanket and twitched her ears. "You may enter." Lucas called, taking another sip of his drink before setting it atop his desk.

The door pushed open as the same woman from earlier walked through, "Sorry to bother you, sir, but I have some news about those men you hired." She told him, flipping through a few pages on her clipboard.

"They failed, didn't they?" Lucas asked seriously. The woman stayed silent. "I figured they would probably fuck it up, damn mortals." Lucas sat in his chair and ushered the woman to explain.

Removing two sheets of paper from her clipboard, the woman approached the desk, setting the papers out for Lucas to read. "It seems they had attacked the boy after all, but they were defeated by his Pokemon and arrested soon after while unconscious." She flipped through a few more papers, "And no need to worry about the Aura Stone nor the Manectric, I sent someone to fetch them immediately and they should be returning shortly."

Lucas leaned back in his chair and sighed, "Thank you for taking care of it, if there is nothing else then you may leave for the night."

The woman bowed, "Thank you, sir. Good night." Only getting a grunt in response, the woman sighed and left the office, leaving Lucas to once again ponder his next moves thoroughly.

* * *

 **I don't really have much to put here for the AN this time. But I do wanna mention that I might be a bit slower this month so I can think over the chapters for this part of the story. One other thing I need to mention is that I'm probably gonna be leaving a lot unexplained for a period of time, but as I have said quite frequently, pretty much everything that is unexplained now, will be explained later on at some point. I just wanna avoid causing too much stress by overthinking about how to explain something immediately, just a heads up for what will take place during this period of the story.**

 **Anyhow, thanks for reading, and hopefully you enjoyed the chapter and the story thus far. I appreciate helpful feedback and seeing what you all think of the story. I make sure to read reviews and respond to them if possible.**

 **Until next time. ~Aura**


	33. Chapter 33

**Real quick before the chapter, I want to say that due to being away from my laptop and having no access to a computer during the time I posted this, I didn't do any final edits to fix any mistakes because it's a pain to do on a phone. So apologies for any small errors in the writing.**

* * *

 **Chapter 33: A Generous Gift**

After arriving in Shalour City, the group made their way straight to the Pokemon Center to settle in and relax. Entering the large building, they all paused for a moment to view the massive interior of the largest Pokemon Center they'd ever seen.

The lobby alone was enormous, almost looking more like a mini-mall with all the different types of shops built into the walls, one in particular caught Aura's interest right away, making a mental note to stop there later during their stay.

Passing by a small lounge area with a few sofas and a large flat-screen TV showing a news broadcast, the crew slowly approached the reception desk where Nurse Joy sat with a pile of papers stacked by the computer.

She looked up from the paper she was writing on and smiled at them, "Good afternoon and welcome to the Pokemon Center, how may I help you?" Joy beamed.

"Could we get our Pokemon treated and also rent a couple rooms for a while?" Aura asked, glancing down at Diamond to make sure she was okay.

Nurse Joy happily nodded and set down her pen, "Certainly, I'll get someone out to take care of your Pokemon right away." Turning to the computer, Joy pressed a small red button with a white cross on it next to the keyboard, a tiny LED blinking red right above it. Not long after, the door behind the desk opened with another nurse stepping out. "Vanessa, would you mind taking these trainers' Pokemon to be healed?"

Vanessa bowed, "Right away." The nurse went back into the room for a brief moment before reimerging with a small cart and pushing it around the desk, "If you would please set your Pokeballs in the trays," she said. Dan and Aura did as they were asked and set each of their Pokeballs in the slotted trays, Aura then asking Diamond to follow them as well while him and Dan rented their rooms.

Nodding, Diamond stepped beside the cart and began to follow Vanessa around the counter to the back room. Once the door had shut, Nurse Joy turned back to the pair and held her hands over the keyboard, "Now, what kind of room will you be renting?" She asked, pulling up a ledger of all the Center's available rooms.

Aura held up two fingers, "Just a single room for each of us." He told her.

Joy smiled and tapped the keys, "Okay, if you could just swipe your ID through the scanner for me?" The trainers promptly readied their ID cards and scanned them in the card reader, Aura scanning his card first, but as his files appeared on the computer's screen, Nurse Joy paused as she reviewed the name and softly grinned, "You're Aura Borealis?" She asked. Aura looked at Dan puzzled, then returning his gaze to Joy and confirming her odd question. Nurse Joy bent down and slid open one of the desk drawers, "We've been expecting you for a few days now, we already have you booked for one of our VIP suites as well."

Aura's eyes widened as him and Dan now both shared the same absolutely confused and shocked expressions. Aura began looking around the lobby for someone he might recognize, but there wasn't a single person in the room he'd ever seen before. He turned back to Nurse Joy as she continued to rummage through the file drawer, "I'm sorry, but there's gotta be some kind of mistake, who would book such an expensive suite just for me?"

Nurse Joy staightened up with two envelopes in her hands, one already opened and the other still sealed, "No mistake, this letter has your name printed multiple times, and the other envelope is directly addressed to you." She held out the open letter, "Would you like to read it?" Taking the letter, Aura unfolded it and began to read it aloud.

" _To Nurse Joy of Shalour City. I wish to inform you that you should expect the arrival of a young trainer by the name of Aura Borealis within the next few days. It has come to my attention he is a person of great importance and has accomplished many feats along his travels, and at the request of a dear friend as well as someone with great power, I ask he be given a VIP suite during the time he resides within the city._

 _The final request I have, other than the suite provided, is that Mr. Aura Borealis is not treated any differently than a normal trainer merely staying at the Pokemon Center; however, this may come to change if needed as I will be arriving in the city two weeks from the day these letters was delivered._

 _Lastly, the second letter you recieved is addressed to Mr. Aura Borealis directly. Please deliver it to him as soon as possible._

 _Sincerely, Diantha."_

Dan leaned back in shock as Aura read who the letter was from. "Dantha did this? Like, the Kalos Champion Diantha?" He asked, looking at the signature on the bottom right corner as Aura returned the letter.

Nurse Joy nodded and took the letter, then holding out the closed envelope for Aura to take, "That's right, we had a League Official visit yesterday morning to deliver the letters before leaving shortly after." She took a couple key cards from a drawer with a lock and handed one to each of them, "I will admit it is a bit confusing that she'd ask Aura only be given a VIP suite but not the whole VIP treatment."

Aura stared at the closed envelope and shrugged, "I don't know, but maybe she explained it in this letter, and if not I could probably ask her when she gets here." Aura put the keycard in his wallet and the envelope in his bag. "Thanks, Nurse Joy, we'll be waiting over in the lounge area for our Pokemon."

Joy bowed with a polite snile, "Of course, I'll be sure to let you know when they're ready to be picked up."

As the two trainers walked away, Aura continued to looked around the lobby at the hundreds of things to do, "Honestly I don't think I've ever seen a Pokemon Center this big, sure there are some that are similar in Johto and other regions, but like this?" He blinked at a nearby map and walked over to it, reading all the different kinds of recreational areas built throughout the Center, "Look at this, there's so much to do here. A tennis court, basketball, a swimming pool, even a freaking arcade!"

Dan laughed and pat Aura's shoulder, "Yeah, this is probably the largest Pokemon Center in Kalos because of the amount of people who visit here. But I've heard they plan to renovate and build Pokemon Centers like this one in almost every city across the world, even in some towns depending on how busy they can get."

The trainer blinked as Aura just continued to read the long list of locations, mumbling to himself about certain ones he would have to visit while he had the chance. Suddenly pausing, Aura pulled out his phone and checked the time, "Diamond and the others should still take a bit longer before their ready to be picked up. Wanna check out a few of these shops while we wait?"

Dan rubbed his head, "I don't know, there's a lot of them in the Center."

"No, I mean just ones that are in the lobby. I'd rather not get too far without the others." He paused to look at the shop he noticed coming in, "Like that imported goods store over there. They've probably got lots of stuff from other regions there."

Dan looked at the small shop and shrugged, "I guess so. I might even find some exotic herbs or medical books from other regions."

Coming to an agreement to only browse for now, Dan and Aura walked into the open shop where a young woman stood behind the counter. "Welcome, is there anything I can help you with?" The woman asked, her long black hair and flower necklace hanging as she politely bowed.

Aura awkwardly waved his hand, "No thanks, we're just browsing for now." The woman smiled in understanding and let the two trainers walk through the store. Only a few feet away from the counter, they stopped at a small wood stand filled with containers full of sweets. Stopping for a bit while Dan went on to look for some medicinal herbs, Aura decided to grab a few bags of Pokepuffs from the stand for the others. "I think they deserve a treat." He muttered before walking a bit further into the shop and browsing along with Dan.

Finally the pair paused and looked around the room as a light ping echoed and a soft voice came through an intercom. "Aura Borealis and Daniel Sanlow, your Pokemon are ready to be picked up. Please come to the front desk."

The two looked at each other a bit surprised, "I never knew they had an intercom? Wonder why we never heard it before?" Aura said as they headed for the register.

Dan shrugged, "I think it's mainly for these huge Pokemon Centers, plus it was really quiet, even in here. So we probably just tune it out instinctually or something." After buying the bags of sweets, they quickly headed to the front desk where Nurse Joy greeted them again.

The doors behind the desk swung open with the same woman from before walking out with the a similar cart and their Pokeballs set in the sockets. "I'm happy to report all your Pokemon have made full recoveries." She said once she stopped to let them retrieve their Pokeballs. Thanking the nurse, Aura, Dan, and Diamond all finally headed to the large hallway to the right of the reception and scanned the walls, noticing the elevators next to the wide staircase that looped around halfway up.

"You gonna be okay riding an elevator every day?" Aura asked Diamond. The fox looked up and nodded, remembering when she rode the moving boxes at the hospital in Lumiose City.

With a quick push of the button, the elevator descended to their level and slowly opened, allowing the trio to enter and ascend to the top floor where they would be staying. The moment they exit the elevator, the trio were met with a pleasent smell wafting through the fancy hallway, the floor was covered with red carpeting and small potted plants lined the walls every few meters. They started down the hall with Aura double-checking the keycard he had received and searching for the corresponding door, though it was very easy to find considering there were only about eight rooms on the whole floor.

Stopping in front of their door, Aura took a breath as he swiped the card through the scanner and turned the handle, what waited on the other side left them totally shocked. The main room was massive with a small kitchen in the south-east corner, and a huge "C" shaped sofa facing the west wall where a flatscreen TV sat atop a wide wooden stand. In the center was a well crafted coffee table made of polished mahogany.

"This is enormous!" Diamond blurted out as they all stepped inside, the fox walked around and sat on the sofa, gently bouncing on the plush cushions, "Why did you get such a huge room for us?" She asked, looking over her shoulder as Aura and Dan set their bags on a foldout table near the kitchen.

"Honestly I tried to just get a normal room, but apparently the Champion booked us this VIP suite for some reason." He told her, walking toward one of the two doors on the east side and poking his head in, finding a large bedroom inside with it's own bathroom.

Diamond tilted her head and stood up, "The Champion?" She asked, not too familiar with the term.

Aura turned to face her, "The Champion is the highest position in the entire Pokemon League, just about every region has one." He walked back into the main room and continued looking around, "Although I'm still confused about why she'd book us this place. Of all the trainers to pick she picked…" Aura paused as he quietly whispered "me" with a blank stare.

Diamond looked at him a bit concerned, "You okay?"

Shaking his head, Aura held his hand against his head, "She wouldn't… Would she?" He asked himself silently.

"What are you mumbling about?" Dan asked as he stepped out of another bedroom.

Aura groaned and shook his head, "Nothing, just thinking about this whole VIP thing." He faced his friend and smirked, "I guess for now let's just accept this gift and go on with our day, I'll have to ask Diantha about her reason when she gets here, but for now we might as well let everyone else see the place and get comfortable." Giving a quick nod in agreement, Dan followed Aura's lead as the two trainer let their Pokemon out all at once into the center of the room. It didn't take long for them to realize the much larger than normal room they were in.

"What is this place?" Stan asked as the Luxio wandered toward the sofa looking around curiously. Tia and Lilly wandering toward the small kitchen with the same question running through their minds too, the Lopunny peeking over the polished countertop at the various appliances and utensils.

Awkwardly rubbing the back of his head, Aura calmly sighed and glanced around, "Well, this is where we'll be staying for the next two weeks." Each of his Pokemon paused and looked at their trainer in confusion, he could already tell what they were thinking. "Right now we're in one of the Pokemon Center's VIP suites, apparently the Champion had sent the Pokemon Center a message to book us this suite for as long as we need, and that she'll be coming to visit in two weeks so I can ask her about why she did this."

"I have no complaints, Master Aura." Prince said with a short bow of respect.

"Same here!" Stan called as he poked his head over the back of the sofa with his tail flicking behind him, "This place is awesome! I wouldn't mind staying even longer than just two weeks if we had too!"

Aura laughed at the Pokemon's excitement, "Well I'm relieved you all seem so happy about our situation." Hearing a faint clacking coming toward him, Aura looked down to see Tia walking over with her head lowered. "Something wrong?"

"Not to sound ungrateful, but doesn't this place seem a little big?" She asked, glancing away shyly, "I-I mean, it is a very nice place, but… do we really need this much room for just us?"

Aura quietly blinked and started looking around the room, "I guess I can see your point there, normally we make do with just a single room." He rubbed his chin with a smirk, "Although now that I think about it, I might have a solution for that problem." Walking to the center of the room with Tia staring at him puzzeled, Aura cleared his throat to grab everyone's attention. Lilly and Diamond poked their heads out of one of the bedrooms while Stan, Spyke, and Nessa all looked over from the large window. "Alright guys, since there's so much more room in this suite than the ones we usually stay in, I figured that while we have the chance you could all stay out of your Pokeballs while we're here and enjoy a bit more freedom."

"You mean we can sleep wherever we want?!" Stan excitedly asked, still on the large sofa. After receiving a confirming nod from Aura, the Luxio lifted his forelegs off the sofa and cheered, clumsily flopping back onto the plush cushions with a content grin.

Following the energetic feline's short celebration, Aura walked over to the kitchen counter and began to remove his Pokeballs one by one and set them next to his bag. "I'll also leave your guys' Pokeballs somewhere easy to get to as well, just in case any of you want to go back in for whatever reason, it's up to you." Aura walked around the counter and started digging through his bag, "Now that that's all settled, who's ready to eat?"

With a collective sound of agreement from everyone, Aura started looking around the kitchen for the utensils. "Want some help?" Dan asked, stepping behind Aura as he searched the bottom cupboards.

"If you're offering. Let me just get everything ready first." Pulling out a large frying pan and a pot, Aura set them on the stove and turned toward the others. "Hold on a second." Dan watched Aura a bit confused as the Guardian walked toward the living room and picked up the TV remote, "It'll probably be a while before the food's all done, so in the meantime I'll put something on to keep you all busy." Flipping through the channels, Aura finally stopped on a live broadcast of some kind of tournament. "This should be good." He muttered. Setting down the remote, Aura made his way back to the kitchen as the Pokemon started gathering around the sofa. "Now let's get cooking."

* * *

After roughly an hour of cooking, Aura and Dan called everyone over and began setting down their food, each thanking the trainers for the food before digging in. Finally, Aura and Dan walked over to the table where Diamond had been quietly sitting for the past hour. As Aura set the plate in front of her, he noticed she was silently cleaning her necklace of black markings. Sitting down beside her, he continued to watch as she polished the silver chain completely unaware of the food on the table.

Aura smirked at her, "So you gonna eat or..?" He asked.

Diamond flinched and lowered the chain, staring at the roasted vegetables and small slab meat on the plate. She blushed and looked at Aura, "Sorry… Thank you." She apologized, setting her necklace aside with the smooth cloth and pulling the plate closer.

Chuckling silently to himself, Aura turned to his own food and started eating. He was happy Diamond appreciated that necklace as much as she did, this wasn't the first time he had caught her spacing out as she would silently clean the chain. Eventually he bought her the proper supplies for it and since then she'd polish it almost every other day.

Noticing Aura staring blankly in her direction, Diamond spoke up and asked if he was okay. Aura flinched and awkwardly laughed, "I'm fine. Just thinking about stuff." Looking at him for a few more seconds, Diamond returned to eating as Aura silently smiled, returning to his own food as well.

* * *

 **I decided to stop this chapter here because I wanted to get it out sooner. Next chapter should hopefully be a short one as well but hopefully not take as long to write, but only time will tell.**

 **Anyhow, thanks for reading, and hopefully you enjoyed the chapter and the story thus far. I appreciate helpful feedback and seeing what you all think of the story. I make sure to read reviews and respond to them if possible.**

 **Until next time. ~Aura**


	34. Chapter 34

**I don't exactly feel too proud of the structure of this chapter due to how I tried to rush it a bit and was having a bit of trouble staying focused this month. I have been lacking the inspiration and motivation needed to get any actual writing done, but hopefully it will pass soon enough.**

* * *

 **Chapter 34: Chain Reaction**

Aura sat at the table in the main room with his phone in one hand and a fork in the other. He slowly ate the breakfast him and Dan prepared for everyone as he scrolled through information of the Gym Leader, doing his research to figure out the best strategy to practice while training.

Setting down his plate across from Aura, Dan noticed that the other chair across from him was empty and the food sat completely untouched. "Isn't Diamond going to eat?" He asked.

The guardian looked up from his phone, "Diamond's just in the bathroom doing another quick check on her necklace and earrings. She should be coming out soon here." Aura explained. Moments later, Aura suddenly jumped in his seat, dropping his phone on the table as a panicked scream echoed from his and Diamond's room. Completely disregarding his surroundings, Aura nearly tripped as he leapt from his chair and sprinted toward the bedroom, bursting into the large private bathroom where Diamond stood frozen in front of the wide mirror above the sink. "What happened?! Are you okay?" He cried.

Diamond turned with tears in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away and shook her head, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scream," she choked. Swallowing hard, Diamond gazed at her necklace draped across her paws, holding back a sob as she stared at the broken silver chain of her most prized possession.

Realizing what was actually going on, Aura sighed as relief washed over him. The trainer kneeled down and looked into the fox's eyes, seeing nothing but disbelief and shock within the scarlet orbs. "It's okay. Take a breath and tell me what happened." He instructed.

Doing what he said, Diamond blinked away the small tears and took a deep breath before locking eyes with her mate. "I-I don't know why it happened… But while I was putting my necklace on after making sure it was cleaned, the chain just fell apart as I was picking it up…" She wiped away another tear, "I'm sorry, Aura… I should have been more careful."

Lightly smiling in a comforting way, Aura slowly took the chain from the fox's claws and examined the broken link as Diamond silently stood and watched. "You don't need to be sorry about this. I may have bought the necklace, but it belongs to you, if anything I should be sorry for not making sure it wasn't damaged… Hold on a second…" Aura lifted the broken chain a bit closer to his eyes, "I think I found the issue here," He held the ends between his fingers, "Looks like the chain was melted where it broke, in fact, it looks a bit deformed all around. I guess it must have been damaged when you were hit with that Manectric's Discharge back in the cave, and it was probably worn down even more from being polished so it finally gave out. But I wonder why it was only this spot that broke?"

When Aura finally looked back up at Diamond, he saw the fox blankly staring at him in amazement with only a few traces of her saddened state remaining. She sniffled and rubbed her eyes from the lingering tears, "Do you know if it can be fixed?" She asked with a bit of hope in her tone.

Aura stared at the chain again and evaluated the damages with a somewhat contorted expression. "I doubt the chain can really be fixed, but we can probably get it replaced, maybe this time with something a bit more resistant."

"Is everything alright?" They heard a soft voice ask from the doorway. Aura looked up and turned to see Prince and Lilly standing in the doorway. The two slowly walking in with Stan and Tia following behind.

"It could be better. Just some issues with Diamond's necklace, but other than that everything's fine." Aura explained.

Lilly placed a paw on her chest and sigh in relief, "That's good, we all got kind of worried when we heard Diamond scream."

Prince took a step and knelt down, "We would have come in sooner, but Miss Lilly felt it was better to allow you to handle the situation without disruption." The Lopunny looked away with a faint blush behind her brown fur from being referred to as "Miss Lilly".

Aura tilted his head a bit and thought about it, if the others were worried about Diamond, he wouldn't have minded them coming in to check. Brushing it off, Aura politely nodded to the four and thanked them for their concern. "With this settled, we should probably finish getting ready for the day since we got a lot of training to get done, not to mention finding a jeweler to replace the chain as well."

Obeying their trainer, the Pokemon all exit the room as Aura calmly looked back at Diamond. After quickly reassuring her he would get it fixed, the two left the bathroom as well to finish preparing for the day ahead.

* * *

Deciding to let the Pokemon all stay outside of their Pokeballs for now, the crew made their way into the elevator and descended towards the lobby. Once they arrived and stepped out of the elevator, Aura took out his phone and opened up a map of the city. "So our fist stop for the day is to get Diamond's necklace fixed as soon as we can, luckily I actually found a jeweler a few blocks away that should be able to do it." Zooming in on a specific location, Aura tapped the screen and a small picture of the shop appeared with the address and business hours.

Beside him, Stan slowed down a bit to stretch and loosen his muscles, a few tiny sparks flying from his body each time his joints would pop, "I could really go for a nice long walk if we had to." He said, popping a few more joints and letting out small moans of satisfaction.

Dan smirked as he carried Missy in his arms, "Electric-types usually need to be active more often since electricity will build up in their joints and could cause serious issues." He point out confidently. "That's why sparks come from Stan each time he stretches."

Aura glanced back and smiled, "Good to know. Maybe I'll have to include him in my special training with Prince then, just to make sure he lets out enough energy." As they were talking, the group had made their way out of the Pokemon Center and were now headed down the road in search of the jewelers.

Roughly ten minutes went by until Aura stopped when he felt a tug on his shirt, looking down at the Lopunny and asking what she wanted. "I think I see the store up ahead," she explained, happily pointing in the direction of a small clean building with a rustic yet elegant design to it.

Taking out his phone again, Aura confirmed it was indeed the jewelers and pat the bunny's head, praising her for her observation. The rabbit letting out a cheerful squeak as well. "Come on guys, let's get this done so we can start training for the gym." Taking the lead, Aura walked up to the window to see that there weren't actually many people inside, although he took notice of the small interior and large amounts of jewelry that would most likely cost millions to replace. "Hmm, it might be best for everyone else to wait outside while me and Diamond go in, I don't want to overcrowd the place and accidentally knock over something expensive."

Stan shrugged, preferring to stay outside anyways and continue moving around. Lilly and Tia took no offense to it either, deciding to sit at a nearby bench and relax in the sun, Nessa following behind them to join. Finally, Prince merely nodded and loyally agreed to his master's wishes and stood by the entrance, curiously glancing around the streets at the small crowds passing by in the early morning.

"I'm going to bring Missy inside with us," Dan told him, "I mean it's not that hot out, but I'd rather keep her from overheating."

"What about me?" They both heard Spyke suddenly whine from their feet.

Dan knelt down and slowly shook his head, "Sorry, Spyke, but you and I both know how reckless you can be. Plus I feel you could use some fresh air and sunlight out here, we won't be too long." Sighing and crossing his arms, the small Chespin agreed with his trainer and walked over towards Prince, sitting on the ground and looking at the sky.

"Alright, you guys just wait out here by the shop and we'll be as fast as we can, don't wander off too far, okay?" Getting a collective sound of agreement, Aura proudly nodded and opened the glass door of the shop, hearing the bell above it chime as they stepped in.

Once inside the air-conditioned establishment, Dan decided to browse around to pass the time while Aura and Diamond promptly headed up to the till, there a clean man with short black hair and a goatee stood busily evaluating what seemed to be a small wooden box of smooth red jewels. Taking notice of the approaching customer, the man set the stone back in the box and set it under the counter. "Good morning, is there something I can help you with?" The man asked with a confident smile.

Digging through his pocket, Aura fished out the black box and set it on the counter, "I was wondering if you could take a look at this necklace for me? It belongs to my Braixen and the chain sort of broke after an incident with a Manectric."

"Of course, let's see what we're dealing with, shall we?" The man picked up the velvet case and flipped it open, he looked at the necklace a bit distraught before gently taking the accessory out. "This looks pretty bad, the chain is certainly unfixable. The only thing it's good for now is extra silver for making new jewelry."

Diamond slightly grimaced at the fact the chain was done for good. Aura lowered his head and sighed, "I figured as much, but do you think it'd be possible to at least replace the chain? Maybe something a bit more durable if possible?"

The jeweler smiled kindly as he returned the necklace to the case, "I think that can be arranged. Trainers often buy accessories and clothing for their Pokemon to show a strong bond, so they usually ask if there's a way to make sure it won't be damaged while battling."

Aura thought back to the cave incident and the state Diamond's bag was is. "I think I know what you mean. Like how some equipment and clothes are made with special materials just in case something happens."

The man nodded with another smile, "Exactly, so if you'd like, I could see about replacing this chain with one more suitable for Pokemon, probably a good idea to replace the gem socket as well."

This time, Diamond's ear perked up from the good news. "I guess now it all comes down to the cost?" Aura asked a little less than excited as he worried about the price. But to their surprise, the man simply looked at the box and smiled.

"Normally the extra coating and materials used in these kinds of jewelry don't usually cost as much as the jewelry itself, but considering the silver in this necklace could still be melted down at the very least, I might be able to cut a deal with you." Aura paused and faced the man puzzled, "Like I said, the silver can still be melted down and reused, so if you'd like then I can take the silver as payment for the new materials while you simply pay for the extra stuff? Sound fair?"

Aura thought about the man's offer and the amount of money he'd save with this, with that thought in mind, he promptly nodded in agreement, "If it's okay then I'm all for it. To be honest though," he looked at Diamond and held her shoulder, "so long as she's happy it wouldn't matter how much I spend."

The man smirked and nodded in understanding, "Alright then, I do however have to inform you I have quite a few other orders to take care of first, if you have a way for me to contact you then I could let you know once you can come pick it up?" Quickly agreeing to the man's terms, Aura gave the man his phone number as well as mentioning they could be found at the Pokemon Center too. Then, after getting the final cost of it all, Aura gladly payed the man for his services and left the necklace with him.

"Thanks again, sir. This really means a lot to us." Aura bowed.

The man laughed and waved to them, "No worries, have a good day and I'll let you know when to pick up the necklace." With a friendly wave back, Aura and Diamond quickly got Dan and left the store, glad to see all the Pokemon loyally waiting outside as they were told. The moment they all heard the bell chime and saw their trainers exit the shop, they quickly went to their sides and followed back to the Pokemon Center to finally begin their training.

* * *

A loud explosion echoed through the air as a pillar of smoke rose from the Pokemon Center's courtyard, on either side of the smoke stood an Absol and Lucario in the midst of an intense battle. Both Pokemon soon charged toward each other, the Absol's horn flickering with shadowing energy while the Lucario's wrist spikes extended out and split to form three razor sharp claws of silver energy. An intense crackling sound followed suite as the result of the clashing attacks, letting out a shower of light and dark sparks in the process before the pair forced each other to jump back.

"Keep up the good work you two! We need to be prepared when we challenge the gym!" The Absol and Lucario looked towards their trainer and nodded. "Alright, Tia. Since the Gym Leader uses Fighting-type Pokemon you'll be at a type disadvantage, so we need to be able to counter that."

Tia looked over with a bit of a guilty expression, though thankfully she was too far for Aura to clearly see it. "A-Are you sure you want me to fight then?" She subconsciously lowered her tail and glanced away, scratching her leg shyly with her claws. "Wouldn't Stan be a better choice instead of me?"

At this point, Aura could clearly see she was nervous about the coming battle, but Aura simply returned her doubt with a soft smile, "You'll do fine, Tia. Type doesn't always decide the battle, there's more to it than that, and I believe that you can prove it to everyone." Tia looked at her trainer doubtfully. "Trust me, Tia. We've been training for almost an hour and you've been doing great so far."

Glancing toward the others, Tia noticed Stan watching her with a supportive smile, nodding his head at the Absol confidently. Though she still doubted she'd be helpful during the gym match, Tia finally looked at Aura and nodded with a forced smile. "I'll try my best."

"Great, let's go for about another half hour and then you two can take a break while Diamond and Lilly train." Watching as the two Pokemon moved to their starting positions, Aura began to call out his commands.

"Prince, I want you to charge at her with Extreme Speed!" Sliding his leg back, Prince harshly stared at the Absol across him with a white glow suddenly outlining his body, immediately lunging forward at full sprint tailed by a glowing white streak. "Tia, avoid it with Double Team!"

Just as quick as Prince took off, Tia firmly spread her forelegs and lowered her head before splitting into multiple blurry projections of the Dark-type, leaving Prince to instantly faze through the spectral image left where the original once stood. Coming to a halt completely surrounded by the Absol clones, Prince frantically looked around as they all flickered faster than light while staring him down.

"Now, Tia! I want you to jump and use Slash! Prince, try and block the real one with Metal Claw!" The horns on each of the Absols began to glow as they all lunged into the air. Prince spun around as he watched them all approach, the Lucario hastily tried to determine which was the real one with the use of his heightened aura, however it backfired as he still hadn't fully adapted to his heightened senses and overestimated his control over said power, leaving him momentarily blinded and unable to detect Tia.

Prince felt his head throb as he cut off his aura sense, he slightly wobbled but refused to give in to the dizziness as he still had a chance to guard against the real Absol. Triggering his Metal Claw, Prince pivoted to his right and raised his claws in an X above his head, unfortunately for him, he not only felt even more dizzy from the quick movement, but he was unsuccessful in guarding himself as the Absol he faced merely fazed through his claws an instant before the one just to his left had made contact with him.

Tia bounced back with her horn returning to normal while Prince stumbled backward and fell, kicking up a small cloud of dirt as he hit the ground and slightly winced. Despite Tia having successfully taken him down, she felt concerned that she may have done more than intended and slowly stepped forward. "A-are you okay? I wasn't too rough was I?" She worried.

Prince grunted and pushed himself into a sitting position, grabbing his head and moaning in pain as it throbbed. "I'm alright, but thank you for your concern." He replied, hissing silently through his teeth and wincing again.

Tia's worry began to grow as she continued to watch her teammate endure whatever pain he was in, unable to feel anything but guilt as she presumed this was her doing. The Absol opened her mouth to apologize, but stopped as Aura quickly jogged over and knelt down beside the jackal. "You okay, buddy? It looked like you just suddenly lost focus in the middle of all that, did something happen?" He asked, taking a few glances around the Lucario's body, mainly his head, as he wondered if it was from an injury.

The canine slowly bowed his head, avoiding any sudden movements to prevent his headache from worsening. "I am fine, Master Aura. It was due to an error on my part." The Lucario rubbed his temples and took a breath to calm his mind, soothing the pain just a bit.

"What do you mean by 'error'?" Aura inquired.

"It seems that I still haven't fully adapted to my increased strength from evolving. I failed to properly control my heightened senses and suffered for it." Prince let out another wince and rubbed his forehead.

Aura smirked at the Pokemon and rubbed his shoulder, "Well then I guess we'll have to work on that during out special training together, eh?" He suggested, grinning confidently and giving him a thumbs up.

Prince returned the grin and nodded, "I will not disappoint you, Master Aura."

"Good. For now let's get you and Tia some rest for a while so Diamond can train with Lilly. I don't need you guys overworked and exhausted for tomorrows training session." Standing up, Aura was about to reach for Prince's Pokeball, however he paused after remembering he promised to let them all remain outside their balls during their stay, besides, he had forgotten them all back in the suite. Laughing awkwardly, Aura knelt down and wrapped Prince's arm around his neck, swiftly yet gently carrying the Lucario bridal-style across the field toward the others.

Once Prince was set down in one of the chairs, Diamond and Lilly jumped from their seats and waited for their trainer before heading out onto the battlefield.

* * *

 **While editing this my browser messed up so sorry for the sloppy end note.**

 **Thank you all for reading my story thus far despite the minor mistakes on my part. I can't promise next chapter will be structured too much better than this one,** **but I will try my best to make sure it is done well enough since what happens could very well change the course of the entire story, or not, we'll just have to see. Hopefully it won't take too long to write since I have a bit pre-written, but I hope to get it out as soon as I can.**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoy what's yet to come. Until next time.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Alright, I know I said that this chapter was gonna have something huge and important, but I decided to cut it short so I could get it out sooner. But as you can see from the title of the chapter it's the gym battle between Aura and Korrina. I feel like I did better with this fight scene but it's always nice to hear others' opinions and words of support, they really help motivate me to write and make it that more enjoyable when I see positive feedback. Thank you all for your support so far and I hope to get the next chapter out soon.**

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 **Chapter 35: Challenging the Shalour Gym**

Three days had gone by since arriving in Shalour City and it was finally time to challenge the gym. Aura and the rest of the group were sitting in the main room of their suite, finishing their breakfast and reviewing what they had done during training to prepare for the upcoming fight. Aura, Tia, Diamond, and Prince all sat on the sofa while Aura conveyed his thoughts.

"Tia and Prince, you two are really good when it comes to speed and quick hits, so let's try to keep that as a main focus; meanwhile, Diamond also has decent agility and some super effective range attacks, so I want you to keep your distance if possible. And going off the database, Korrina's Pokemon shouldn't be heavy on their ranged attacks either."

"You're really getting into this gym challenge more than any of the other ones." Dan commented as he leaned over the trainer's shoulder.

"Well I found out I can research each gym's past victories in the database and learn their most common strategies, so I figured with how strong Korrina seems and her ability to use Mega Evolution, we need to be ready for anything." About to resume their planning, Aura stopped and looked down at his phone buzzing on the coffee table. Curious as to whom was calling him, Aura picked up the device and answered just as the second buzz had started. "Hello?"

"Hello? Mr. Borealis?" A man's muffled voice came through. Aura responded with an inquiring "yes?" in return. "I'm calling to let you know your necklace is finally done and can be picked up today."

Aura noticed Diamond's ears perk up as she picked up on the conversation and smiled happily. "Thank's a lot. Ill be sure to stop by later today after my gym challenge."

The man on the other end laughed, "Good luck then. Korrina is a strong trainer."

"Heh, I know." Aura commented, "Thank you for the call. Bye." After ending the call, Aura set his phone back down just before Diamond bounced against him excited to finally be getting her necklace back. "Okay, Diamond." He said with a laugh, "Calm down a bit. We need to stay focused on our battle, okay?"

Diamond stopped and pulled away, feeling a bit guilty but still beaming with joy and excitement. "Sorry, Aura. I'm listening." She said.

With a quick nod, Aura resumed explaining what they would all be focusing on during the fight and going over a few more details. Soon enough almost an hour had gone by and it was finally time for their match. With hopes held high and anticipation rising, they all left the Pokemon Center toward the Gym.

* * *

Not long after leaving the Pokemon Center, Aura had lead the group to the wide open beach just a few minutes north of the Center. Stepping onto the sandy road along the steep slopes dividing the beach from the city roads, the Pokemon had all begun to look around curiously at the small crowd of people on the shore.

After another minute of walking closer to the calm waves, Stan finally asked, "Why are we at the beach?"

Aura, who was happily leading the crew, turned and smirked at the feline. "We're going to the gym." He affirmed, turning back as the morning breeze carried the sounds of the ocean.

The Luxio looked around, not seeing any buildings on the beach like the Gyms they'd challenged before. Stan then sighed and continued to quietly follow his trainer; meanwhile, Diamond and Lilly had been glancing around at the few couples relaxing in the sun, the two finding it a bit romantic to be up that early to be there, although Diamond began to take notice of all the woman in particular, seeing them all wearing similar revealing clothes and started to grow curious.

Diamond's attention was brought back as she heard Aura speak up. "There it is!" He exclaimed. They all stared in awe at the humongous tower rising up from a small peninsula just off the shore, it's base circled by jagged rocks.

"What is it?" Diamond asked, subconsciously moving closer to Aura.

"The Tower of Mastery. While I was researching the Gym Leader, I found out that the gym was inside the tower and I even learned a bit of it's history." He explained. "Now come on, let's go and win our third badge!" Aura cheered, leading the group confidently along the trail to the tower's stairs.

The doors at the entrance were quite large, with multiple carvings of Mega Pokemon covering it's surface. Aura approached the doors and knocked, hearing a low echo from within and stepping back. Save for the echo, they heard nothing from inside the tower. Aura turned to the others confused before he reached up to knock again, but to everyone's shock, the door suddenly began to open, an old man standing on the other side clearing his ear with his finger. "Can I help you?" The man asked.

Aura recomposed himself and bowed, "Uh, yes. I'm here to challenge the Gym for my third badge."

The old man smirked and stepped back, "Well come on in then, I'll take you to my granddaughter." Looking at one another, the crew followed behind the old man with the doors shutting behind them. "My name is Gurkinn, and you've most likely heard of my granddaughter Korrina."

Aura nodded, "Yeah. I made sure to do a bit of research before today and it seems Korrina's really strong."

Gurkinn chuckled, "Well she should be, I am the one who trained her. But I will admit she does have her own strength too." He sighed contently and glanced back, "So, what are your names?" Aura began to introduce himself and his Pokemon, Dan doing the same right after. Gurkinn nodded, "I can sense a strong essence coming from you and your Pokemon. I'm sure this will be an interesting fight."

Aura slowed down as he thought about Gurkinn's words for a moment, but his thoughts were cut short as they had stopped at another pair of double doors and Gurkinn turning to face them. "Here we are. Best of luck to you, Aura." Aura thanked him before Gurkinn pushed open the doors to reveal a large stadium with a battlefield in the center and an open roof overhead. "Korrina! You have a challenger!" Gurkinn called.

"Okay, Gramps!" They heard a girl call back. A smooth whirring sound began to echo through the large room, making everyone look around curiously before nearly stumbling back as a blonde girl in white sports wear leaped over them from the guard rails, landing on another rail that looped around the corner of the room where she jumped off, shooting toward a series of ramps and skating over one after another. Finally, the athletic woman launched into the air from the last ramp, twirling effortlessly, and landing right in front of them all with a loud clack coming from her skates.

"Welcome to the Shalour City Gym. So which one of your guys are challenging me today?" She asked confidently.

Aura stepped forward and pointed at himself with his thumb, "That'd be me." He said, matching Korrina's confidence with his own.

With a large smirk, Korrina's attention suddenly shifted to the Lucario stood next to the trainer. Her eyes almost lit up with excitement as she rolled closer, "Oh cool, you've got a Lucario, too?"

Aura shifted to the side a bit with an awkward grin. "Uhh, yeah. That's Prince, the first Pokemon I ever caught."

"Korrina!" Gurkinn said roughly. "Remember your priorities. I'm sure you two will have plenty of time to talk after the gym battle."

Korrina groaned while Aura just continued to awkwardly smile. "Okay, Grandpa. Well, shall we get started then?" She asked.

Receiving a nod from Aura, Korrina made her way toward one end of the battlefield while Aura and the others headed over to the other side. Prince, Tia, and Diamond all stood beside their trainer while Lilly and Stan sat with Dan and his Pokemon on a bench just behind Aura.

Gurkinn stepped up to the sidelines and began to explain the rules. "The official gym match is about to begin. Each side will be allowed three Pokemon, and the battle will be over once all of either side's Pokemon are unable to continue. There is no time limit and only the challenger may substitute Pokemon. The Gym Leader will send out their Pokemon first!"

Korrina took one of the Pokeballs from her belt and tossed it into the field, "You're up first, Mienfoo!" The Pokeball burst open in a flash of bluish-white light that arched toward the ground, the energy taking the form of a short, red and yellow mustelid Pokemon. Letting out a short "foo!", It immediately took on a flawless stance identical to a skilled martial artist.

Aura recalled that what Mienfoo lacked in physical strength, they made up for in speed and agility, a perfect match for his first choice. He looked down at Tia and gave the Absol a thumbs up, "You're up first, Tia. Do your best out there." A bit hesitant at first, Tia nodded and ran out onto the field. Although she still didn't feel too confident, did her best to keep it from showing as she stared down her opponent.

"Are both trainers ready?" Gurkinn called, receiving a quick "ready" in return from Aura and Korrina, "Then let the battle begin!"

Aura quickly took the first move, "Power up with Swords Dance!"

Tia's muscles tensed up as she began to let out a low growl, a circle of neon-blue swords materialized and spun around her, picking up speed as they slowly closed in while red waves of energy coated her body.

Before Swords Dance could finish, Korrina pointed at the dark-type and called out, "Quick, Mienfoo! Use this chance to hit it with High Jump Kick!" Slightly adjusting it's stance, Mienfoo ducked down to leap high into the air with it's left knee glowing with an orange light. Reaching the peak of it's jump, the mustelid dove straight down at high velocity directly toward Tia.

Unfortunately for her and Aura, even if Tia were to try and dodge the attack, she wouldn't be able to move fast enough until Swords Dance is completely stopped and would most likely be hit anyways. This left only one option. Aura kept all his focus on Tia as she stayed still while Mienfoo quickly fell toward her; then, just as Aura had hoped, the swords had finally crossed and flashed away as Mienfoo was only a few seconds from impact.

It was now or never. Aura didn't miss a beat as he called out, "Quick Attack!" Within seconds, the Absol had sped away as she were mere inches from being hit, causing the Mienfoo to keep going and forcefully crash into the ground, eliciting a loud cry of pain as smoke rose from the impact.

Korrina watched in shock as the Absol had managed to avoid her Mienfoo's attack so easily. She didn't know whether to be impressed or upset about it, but she decided to worry about that later as the smoke quickly cleared away, her Mienfoo slowly standing back up and wincing in pain.

"Stay strong, Mienfoo! Use Force Palm!" Shaking it's head, Mienfoo cleared it's mind and ignored the pain it was feeling as it shifted it's focus to it's aura. With careful and precise movements, Mienfoo suddenly took off towards Tia once again with quick footing, this time with it's paw glowing dimly orange and poised to strike.

"Counter it with Psycho Cut!" Tia's horn began to glow with a light purple hue. Reeling her head back, she swung her horn to the side and let loose a large crescent-shaped blade of condensed pink energy that sliced through the air toward her target.

"Jump over it and!" Korrina shouted. Mienfoo visibly squinted it's eyes and closely observed the blade-like projectile. In one quick motion, the Martial Arts Pokemon tightened it's form and slowed down just enough to pause the moment it's left foot hit the ground. Shifting it's weight very specifically, the small Pokemon launched into the air as it were mere inches from taking a direct hit from the Psycho cut.

Tia watched with bated breath as she watched Mienfoo soar through the air above her. She took a step back with her eyes still glued toward the sky, anticipating the fight-type's next move. Her tail perked up at the sound of Aura's voice and she glanced over as he instructed her to dodge. Glancing back up, Tia panicked as Mienfoo quickly grew closer. Worrying she might fail Aura, she nearly tripped over her feet as she side-stepped the attack, jumping away right after and spitting up some dirt that had got in her mouth from the impact. "You're doing great, Tia!" Aura praised, "Now give it a taste of your Shadow Ball!"

Briefly nodding at her trainer, Tia raised her head with her maw open. A faint growling sound paired with a monotonous whistling noise resonated from the Absol as the dark ball of energy took form, soon firing forward directly towards Mienfoo.

"Break through it with Drain Punch and get in close!" Korrina shouted. Pulling it's fist back as a bright green energy swirled around in, Mienfoo sprinted head on toward the Shadow Ball. Without missing a beat or even flinching, Mienfoo drove it's fist through the black orb and caused it to explode into a plume of smoke. Completely unfazed, Mienfoo continued onward at full sprint until it was only a few feet from Tia. As if it's movements weren't already near impossible to track, Mienfoo suddenly ducked ever so slightly to the right, Tia could see time slow down as Mienfoo swerved to her left and used it's momentum to deliver a powerful uppercut to her side. An audible crack echoed as a couple of Tia's ribs were broken and the Absol went flying across the field, crashing into the wall in a huge cloud of debris.

"Tia!" Aura shouted in concern. To his relief, the Absol slowly limped out from the cloud with her only visible injury being a large gash on her shoulder. Meanwhile, as Tia tried to pushed back the pain and took slow, shallow breaths, Mienfoo's body had become enveloped in a light green veil as it's wounds were slowly healed and it's energy restored.

Aura tightened his fists and swore under his breath. Even though Pokemon are much more resistant and tolerant towards pain and injuries, it can still affect their performance and make them an easier target.

"I'm impressed by your Absol's endurance, Aura. Even if it's a dark-type, it took that Drain Punch like a champ and is still standing." Aura forced a smile, he appreciated her kind words, but he knew it wouldn't make a difference in this fight. Korrina held her hand out toward her Pokemon, "Sorry to do this to you, but it's time to end this! Force Palm!"

Speeding towards Tia once more, Mienfoo leaped into the air like before with it's knee glowing light orange. Aura and the others watched in anticipation as the red and yellow weasel dove to deliver it's final attack. Tia was frozen with her eyes glued to the Mienfoo, Aura's voice ringing through her ears as he called out to her, his voice making her mind go hazy as she recalled the reason he wanted her to fight. _"I believe that you can prove it to everyone."_

A tear rolled down the Absol's cheek. She couldn't let Aura down. Even if she didn't believe in herself, Aura certainly did. Feeling a wave of emotions flooding her mind, Tia's body became outlined by an ominous red glow as she slowly opened her mouth and took a deep breath. The Disaster Pokemon suddenly unleashed a high-pitched howl, which could only be described as the distorted screams of pure suffering, while dark crimson sound waves resonated through the air causing Mienfoo to suddenly stop in it's tracks and cover it's ears as it let out cries of agonizing pain.

Without waiting for a command, Tia cut off her Perish Song so she could begin charging a Shadow Ball in it's place. With Mienfoo on it's knees still suffering from the effects of Perish Song, Tia let out a loud bark and sent the dark sphere hurdling towards it, nailing it directly in the chest and exploding into smoke. Everyone watched in silence for the smoke to clear, and once it did, they saw the Mienfoo lying fainted on it's back.

"Mienfoo is unable to battle! Absol wins!" Gurkinn called, raising his hand towards Aura.

Aura didn't take his eyes off Tia, watching as the red glow faded away as she heavily panted in exhaustion. It startled him just a bit when she suddenly faced him with her gaze remaining almost vicious, though it quickly softened as she limped toward her trainer.

"D-Did I do okay?" She asked, stopping in front of her trainer.

Aura smiled and rubbed her head, "You did amazing, Tia. But for now, I think you deserve a nice long rest." The Absol weakly nodded as Aura returned her to her Pokeball, Korrina doing the same to her Mienfoo.

"That was quite the comeback, Aura. I'm having a blast battling you!" Korrina cheered. "But don't think this means you win just yet, we've still got a ways to go."

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 **Hey, I know this seems like an odd place to suddenly cut off, but I just wanted to get this out as soon as possible. Next chapter should be the conclusion of the fight and when the "super important event" is gonna occur.**

 **Anywho, I feel like I did a bit better with this fight scene than my other ones, but I would kinda like to hear your guys' oppinions too; so please, if you'd like to say anything don't be afraid to leave a review, I make sure to read them all and respond if possible. Of course, I can't send a "thank you" to everyone who leaves one, but know that I do appreciate it.**

 **I am still reletively new to being a writer, but I feel that I have made a lot of progress in improving my skills. Again, not everyone starts out as a proffesional, so if you find a story that may not have the best quality within the first few chapters, please be patient and give those writers the support they need to improve their skills and continue doing what they enjoy.**

 **Until next time. ~Aura**


	36. Chapter 36

**So an explanation as to why this one took so long to actually post. I had been at an anime convention called Ganbatte and that made it hard to focus on my writing. I also had apparently forgotten to post I believe it was chapter 35 after uploading it even though I thought I had for a while, so I wanted to hold this one off for a bit longer to give me some extra time with the next one.**

 **This chapter continues right where the last one left off. I did finish this chapter quite a while earlier but wanted to make sure it would tie together well with the start of the next chapter. I still have a lot of details to plan out for the next while so chapters will probably slow down a bit more again for a while.**

 **Reviews**

 **starriechombie:** Thank you for the compliment. Nice to see I'm not the only one who re-reads stories when awaiting an update.

 **ivanvukadin1997:** I appreciate the kind words. I'm glad others notice my skills improving as I go along, as I have mentioned multiple times before, nobody ever starts off perfect right away, everyone has to slowly improve their skills so to everyone who enjoys my writing so far, please spread the word so that other writers who are just starting out can get the support and confidence they need to improve their skills as I have. And as for the OCs, I do have to greatly apologize but I do feel like that idea will be shelved for an indefinite amount of time if not for good. I do enjoy seeing other creators' characters but I personally don't wan't to destroy another's vision on their own characters. I may take OCs again in the future but only under the circumstance that I would be given full say over how they are used within my stories.

Anywho, sorry for the long response and let's move onto the chapter.

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 **Chapter 36: Wavering Fate**

Korrina replaced Mienfoo's Pokeball with another and smirked, "Here's my second Pokemon," she tossed the ball high in the air, "your time to shine, Machoke!"

In a flash of white energy, the Pokeball popped open and released the large, blue humanoid Pokemon. Flexing it's muscles, the fighting-type let out quick grunts with each movement. Aura looked down at Prince, "Guess you're up next, buddy. Good luck." Nodding his head with his ears slightly flopping forward, Prince ran out onto the field and took his position, his devoted red eyes locked on Machoke.

"Round two! Begin!" Gurkinn announced.

"Machoke! Charge in and use Low Sweep!" Korrina shouted. The human-like Pokemon took off sprinting towards the jackal with it's leg glowing white.

Aura threw his fist in the air, "Jump over it and retaliate with Blaze kick from behind!" Readying himself both mentally and physically, Prince closely watched Machoke and the moment it had ducked down to perform attack, Prince pushed off the ground just as Machoke swept it's bulky leg across the ground, flipping around in the air while his left leg ignited in flames. Immediately after landing behind the bulky wrestler Pokemon, Prince performed a spinning heel kick and slammed his blazing leg into Machoke's back, knocking it to the ground with a large glowing scorch mark left where it was struck.

Korrina gasped in awe at the Lucario, "Your Lucario knows Blaze Kick?!" Aura awkwardly nodded and rubbed his head. Forcing herself to stay focused on the fight, Korrina smirked excitedly and thrust her fist forward, "Now let's see if you can dodge this! Use Revenge!"

Still kneeling on the ground before Prince, Machoke glanced over it's shoulder at the jackal with a sardonic grin. In the blink of an eye, the brutish fighting-type spun on the balls of it's feet while rocketing upward, delivering a powerful uppercut directly to the canine's gut and launching him quite high in the air.

Wincing himself as if he could feel a fraction of the pain his Pokemon endured, Aura watched Prince plummet back down to earth. The trainer slightly jerked back as something crossed his mind. "Prince! Roll forward while using Metal Claw! Then give yourself a boost with Extreme Speed!" Wincing a bit as he adjusted his body, Prince promptly began to slowly roll in the air, picking up more speed as he fell and simultaneously using Metal Claw and Extreme Speed to make him appear almost like a giant glimmering circular saw.

Finally crashing into the ground, Aura's plan was a success as Prince slowly dug into the dirt from his velocity, spraying sand everywhere until he finally slowed to a stop with his claws to the sides and a confident, yet somewhat disoriented look in his eyes.

Gurkinn rubbed his chin and smirked to himself. "Interesting strategy there. But will it be enough?" He muttered.

"I'll admit that was a cool combo move you pulled off, but it won't be enough to stop Machoke!" Korrina punched the air again enthusiastically, "Brick Break!" Letting out a battle cry, Machoke charged Prince with each footfall making a loud thump that shook the dirt below their feet. Aura called for Prince to block it, but the Lucario's reaction time seemed to have been impaired by his combo move as he lightly swayed. Prince did manage to raise his claws in defence, however it was pointless as Machoke worked around his defences with a sudden right hook, narrowly passing the razor sharp claws by a few inches and decking the canine in the side of the face.

Prince was sent spiraling through the air and slid to a stop along the ground, however, despite the super-effective attacks, it came as a shock to almost everyone but Aura that the Lucario managed to stand back up. "You okay, Prince?" Aura called. Prince responded with a nod and immediately locked eyes with Machoke once again as he raised his fists.

"Give another Brick Break!" Korrina hollered. Jumping forward, Machoke lifted it's hand up and swung it down like a karate chop aimed for the Lucario's skull.

"Block it!" Prince quickly lifted his arms up and held them against each other with his fists pointing in opposite directions. Machoke's hand slammed down against his forearms right between his wrist spikes, the force creating a shockwave that resonated along the ground, pushing loose dirt away from them in a perfect circle.

Korrina scowled. "Don't let up! Keep hammering it with Brick Break!"

"Stand your ground and keep your guard up!"

Jumping forward, Machoke let out a roar and began to furiously punch and chop at the Lucario, slamming it's hands into him repeatedly with each one either being dodged, deflected to the side, or blocked by the Lucario's sturdy forearms. It almost began to look more like a kickboxing match than a Pokemon battle.

Feeling this was going on long enough, Aura finally called out. "Alright, Prince! Blast Machoke back with Force Palm!" Keeping his eyes focused for an opening, Prince immediately took the first chance he got and thrusted his palm into Machoke's chest. Machoke hadn't even the time to realize what was happening, still in the middle of swinging his fist again until he was abruptly pushed back by an immense force with his feet skidding along the dirt. The bulky fighting-type leaned forward and shifted his body weight to avoid falling backwards, and firmly placed his fist on the ground with his knee as he panted. "Now finish it off with Aura Sphere!"

Prince pulled both his paws back to one side and bowed forward a bit as a bright orb of blue and white energy formed between his palms. In one quick and steady movement, Prince thrusted his paws outward and launched the orb in a spiraling line directly at his foe. As the ball moved too fast for Korrina to call a command in time, Machoke acted on it's instincts and lifted it's arms above it's face. The ball of energy hit it's mark and exploded against Machoke's arms, sending it sliding back a bit further but not doing quite enough damage to finish it.

Machoke began to slowly lower it's arms, but it was shocked to see that past the clearing smoke the Lucario was no where to be seen. As it looked around confused, it heard Korrina call to it. "Above you!" Sure enough, just as Machoke turned it's face to the sky, it froze wide-eyed when it spotted Prince only a few feet away with a glowing blue bone in his grasp. Unable to stop it, Machoke felt it's face bashed in with the staff-like bone and let out a loud cry, Prince pushing off with the bone evaporating into thin air and cleanly landing a few meters away. Machoke's fingers twitched as it quietly moaned before falling forward and landing face first in the dirt completely unconscious.

Gurkinn threw his hand up, "Machoke is unable to battle! Lucario wins!"

Korrina shook off her surprise and warmly smiled as she lifted Machoke's Pokeball, "Ah well, you did your best out there and that's all I could want."

As Machoke's body became engulfed by the red light and returned to it's ball, Aura proudly smirked at his Pokemon, "Think you're good for another round?" Prince nodded in response. "You might not win this one, but let's at least make it easier for Diamond." Letting out a bark in agreement, Prince held it's fists up and watched patiently as Korrina took out her last Pokeball.

"You may have beaten my other two Pokemon, but this is as far as you go!" With a large grin, Korrina tossed the ball up and caught it, throwing it and calling out "You're up, Lucario!" The ball burst open with white energy arching to the ground, beginning to take the shape of a Lucario. Emerging from the white energy, Korrina's Lucario stood with clear confidence and a stoic expression. "Let's give 'em a fight they'll never forget!" Korrina shouted. Lucario looked back and gave his trainer a thumbs up with a short bark.

Following Gurkinn's signal to start, Aura made the first move. "Get behind them with Extreme Speed and use Blaze Kick!" Prince knelt down slightly before taking off in a blur to the right, moving too fast for anyone to follow as he circled around his opponent.

"Block it!" To Aura's surprise, once Prince had suddenly appeared behind Lucario with his leg surrounded in roaring flames, Lucario managed to spin around faster than Prince could swing his leg and lifted his arms, taking the super-effective attack without hesitation and sliding back with smoke trailing from his body. Lucario let out a bark as he flung his arms to the side with a few embers coming off as he stood nearly unfazed by the attack. Korrina grinned, "Now, Lucario! Hit 'em with Power-up Punch!"

Ducking down with his fist swirling with orange energy, Lucario took off down the field toward Prince. "Dodge it!" Was all Aura call say with such little time to think as Lucario sped forward faster than a Quick Attack. A second away from contact, Prince leaped into the air as Lucario slammed his fist into the dirt. "Now hurry and blast it with Aura Sphere!" Lucario looked up and watched Prince pull his arms back to one side with a glowing ball of blue energy form between his palms. He let out a loud grunt as he thrusted his paws forward and unleashed the orb of light.

Lucario let out a gruff cry as the ball made contact and forced him against the ground, creating a shockwave that sent him careening down the field.

"Tuck and roll!" Korrina shouted. Lucario blinked for a moment before turning his body to roll along the ground, moving with great agility like an acrobatic as he pushed his arm against the dirt and flipped through the air, only to land firmly on his feet with only minor injury and exhaustion. Korrina snapped her fingers and pumped her fist, "Yeah! That's the way to do it!" The Gym Leader looked at Aura and smiled, "Nice try, Aura. But now we'll show you how it's really done! Go, Lucario!"

Just like Prince, Lucario reeled his arms back to one side and created a ball of bright blue and white energy between his paws, although this one actually seemed to be larger that Prince's was. Before Aura could react in any way, Korrina let out a shout with Lucario immediately loosing the sphere with it hurdling through the air at Prince. The second it made contact the orb burst into a huge plume of grey smoke with Prince flinging backwards and tumbling across the dirt.

Prince slowly pushed himself up with multiple scrapes across his body, but that wasn't the end as Lucario pounced from within the smoke with two glowing bones by his sides. Landing a foot away from Prince, Lucario began to furiously barrage him with Bone Rush until Prince could take no more. Finally, with one last powerful swing, Lucario sent Prince across the floor to Aura's feet, the beaten Lucario barely able to keep his eyes open.

Gurkinn threw his arm up, "Aura's Lucario is unable to battle! Korrina's Lucario wins!"

Korrina jumped for joy, "Great job, Lucario!"

Aura meekly smiled down at Prince as he crouched be his side and lifted his head. Prince's eyes twitched before slowly opening, "I'm sorry… Master Aura…" He muttered.

Aura just shook his head calmly and lifted his Pokeball, "It's fine. You did your best out there, so take a long rest and I'll get you treated as soon as this is over." As the red light encased Prince, he slowly nodded and shut his eyes. With Prince unable to battle and Tia most likely too injured to do much else without treatment, Aura looked down at his final Pokemon and nodded. "You ready for this, Diamond?"

The fox pulled her twig from her tail and nodded, "I'll do my best, Aura."

He nodded. "Good luck." Diamond hurried onto the field and took her position with her stick held like a sword in front of her.

Gurkinn called out, "Battle begin!"

"Lucario, use Aura Sphere!" Lucario let out a bark as he leaped into the air. He let out a low growling as he focused his energy into his palms, a glowing blue sphere materializing between his paws and growing in size. Once the orb was large enough, he pulled his arm back and whipped the ball forward with all his might.

As the orb hurdled toward Diamond, Aura hastily cried out, "Light Screen!" Diamond's eyes flashed pink, she twirled her stick in the air with a shower of pink sparkles rained over her like glitter, and soon a translucent pink veil encased her entire form which shimmered in the light. A split second later, Diamond took a direct hit from the Aura Sphere which exploded on impact, pushing her back out of the large cloud of grey smoke. Diamond had stabbed her claws deep into the ground, slowing herself down while also keeping herself balanced. "Now surround it with Fire Spin and use Psybeam!"

Diamond straightened up and held out her stick with both paws clasped around it and a flame igniting at both ends. Twirling it like a flaming baton, Diamond let out a cry as a stream of swirling fire propelled forward, slowly growing in width the further it got. Lucario tried to jump out of the fire's range, however it couldn't escape as the fire swerved around and engulfed the fighting-type in a blazing tornado.

Lucario let out a howl of pain as he plummeted to the ground encased in a ball of fire. Despite the burning pain, Lucario adjusted itself in the air so he could land back on his feet, some dirt and embers splashing out a bit from the somewhat clumsy landing, Lucario being forced to his knees inside the fiery vortex.

"Alright, use Psybeam while it's still trapped!" Diamond's eyes glowed pink for a moment as she began to twirl her stick once again, the tip shining with a sparkling pink flame. The fox let out a cry as she abruptly halted the stick and thrust it forward, unleashing a bright pink beam encircled by purple rings straight toward Lucario, the beam passing through the fire undisturbed and striking the canine directly in the chest. The force of the blast caused Lucario to be pushed through the flames and tumble across the floor, landing on his back at Korrina's feet.

Korrina gasped as her Lucario winced in pain while slowly pushing himself up. "Are you alright, Lucario?!" The jackal stood back up and turned to face his trainer, he gave a quick bark to confirm her question, however he soon let out a howl as fire swirled at his feet and erupted around him, sustaining extra damage from the effects of it's burns.

"Lucario, use Metal Sound!" Pushing through the pain, Lucario reeled both arms back before promptly swinging them forward and slamming his wrist spikes together, creating an ear piercing screech to ring out in Diamond's direction. The fox let out a cry as she folded back her sensitive ears, forcing to close even tighter by pushing them down with her paws. "Now strike with Power-up Punch!"

Lucario halted the noise so he could lurch forward with his fist glowing orange with energy. Diamond couldn't hear a thing past the loud ringing in her ears, so as she struggled to open her eyes, she didn't even have time to register the Lucario right in front of her. Next thing the Braixen knew, she suddenly felt a huge pain in her abdomen as Lucario thrusted his fist into her gut and lifted her off the ground.

"Diamond!" Aura cried.

Korrina watched as Diamond hit the ground. There was no way she could survive that attack, or so she thought. To the Gym Leader's surprise, the short fox began to slowly push herself up, holding her gut in pain as a line of blood seeped from her mouth.

"W-what?! No way!" Korrina shouted.

Aura felt relieve ball up in his chest, but he knew this was no time to celebrate. "Alright, Diamond! Blast it with Flamethrower!" Diamond wiped the blood from her lip and swiftly grabbed her stick. Twirling it like usual, the end caught on fire before being thrust in Lucario's direction and unleashing a steady stream of fire.

Korrina couldn't react in time as she witnessed the blaze collide with her partner and engulf the jackal. She could hear his cries of pain from within and winced herself. As the flames subsided, Korrina sighed in relief as her Lucario managed to withstand the attack. "You okay, Lucario?" She asked. Lucario was about to answer, but it suddenly let out another cry of pain as fire erupted around it, forcing him to drop to his knee as he panted heavily. "Tch. This isn't good. At this rate Lucario won't be able to continue." Korrina looked at her glove and nodded, "Alright, Lucario! Let's finish this as soon as possible!" Raising her hand in the air, Korrina tapped the large round jewel on the back of her glove, the stone emitting a white light that soon reached out to Lucario who held up his arm as well.

The wristband Lucario wore began to glow and streams of light reached for Korrina's, and as the lights connected, Korrina cried out, "Mega Evolve!" Lucario's body became engulfed in a radiant orange and purple light as waves of energy flowed throughout the entire room. Finally, the light burst away to reveal Lucario standing in his mega form.

"Now! Bone Rush!" Lucario let out a loud roar as it slammed it's fists together, pulling them apart with a light blue bone materializing between them. With the bone in his grasp, Lucario suddenly lunged forth at immense speed.

"Guard it with Cut!" Aura panicked. Diamond's stick flashed white and extended into the shape of a blade. Swinging it forward, it connected with Lucario's bone and halted them both in place. The force of the two attacks sent out a shockwave across the ground, creating a small crater around them as they pushed against one another furiously.

"Don't let up!" Korrina called. Lucario pulled back his bone to attempt another swing, once again being blocked by Diamond's blade and sending out sparks upon impact.

"Keep it up!" Aura cried. The two Pokemon continued to connect their attacks one after another, their weapons bouncing off one another and showering the dirt below in sparks. However, Diamond could hardly keep up with the strength of the Mega Pokemon and was soon overpowered. Lucario thrusted his bone forward, knocking back Diamond's blade and quickly swinging the back end of his weapon into her side, eliciting a cry of pain from the Braixen as she bounced along the ground. "Diamond!" Aura shouted.

Diamond slowly pushed herself up with shivering arms. "I'm impressed you made it this far, but it's all over now!" Korrina called. "Lucario! Finish it off with Aura Sphere!" Lucario pulled it's arms back and began to charge it's finishing move.

As the ball of energy grew in size, Diamond watched helplessly as she could barely hold herself up any longer. Although, as she turned to face Aura, seeing the look of defeat and sorrow in his eyes, Diamond felt tears well up in her own. She clenched her teeth and gripped the dirt. She felt an overpowering sensation build in her chest as her emotions began to take over. Diamond froze with her eyes wide, they briefly flashed red before the intense feelings she had suddenly disappeared.

Aura too had frozen in place, he felt his body grow light and his worries all cleared.

Both Aura and Diamond began to glow royal blue and scarlet red. In that one moment, the two felt more connected than ever before, as if their hearts had suddenly become one.

"No…" Diamond shut her eyes with a tear rolling down her cheek, "I won't give up!" She cried, though to the surprise of everyone, Diamond had actually spoken.

Before everyone could even begin to question if what they heard was real or not, Diamond's body was enveloped in a white light as her form began to change. This even surprised Lucario as he paused his attack to witness Diamond's evolution. Soon enough, the light burst from Diamond's form as she now sat there as a fully evolved Delphox.

Diamond slowly pushed herself up as a red aura flared up around her. Everyone paused as Diamond spoke again, her words echoing through the stadium. "So long as I'm alive! So long as we're together! I will _never_ give up on helping Aura make his dream come true!" She cried. Lifting her wand in the air, her aura flared up more intensely as she glared at Lucario. Bringing her wand down slowly with the tip pointed at the jackal, the light surrounding her flowed into the small flame on the end, causing it to quickly build in size. "Blast Burn!" Diamond yelled. The ball of fire erupted and unleashed an enormous jet of blazing fire at Lucario. Nothing could be done to stop it as Lucario roared in agony as his entire body was engulfed. Everyone had to cover their eyes from the intense light the flames produced.

Finally, the flames burst away leaving the charred Mega Pokemon standing in silence. Lucario limply fell forward with it's body flashing and reverting to normal before hitting the ground unconscious.

Gurkinn threw up his hand, "Lucario is unable to battle! Delphox wins and the victory goes to the challenger!"

Aura could hardly contain his excitement as he rushed onto the field. "You did it, Diamond! You won!" He cheered. The fox looked back and weakly smiled, though suddenly her eyes shot open as her body went numb. Aura watched in horror as Diamond dropped her wand before tilting over. "Diamond!" Aura sprinted to his mate and dropped down just in time to catch her in his arms. "Diamond?! Diamond?!" He cried.

The fox's ears rang as her vision blurred. She tried to speak but couldn't even move her lips. Was this it? Diamond's eyes slowly closed with the last thing she saw being her love crying above her.

* * *

 **What a way to end it am I right? Hopefully I did well with creating some suspense for you all with that cliffhanger and give you something to look forward to with the next chapter. A lot of you can probably already guess what's going on with Diamond right now, but let's try to avoid spoiling it for anyone who might not actually know since I kind of want it to be a but more anticipated.**

 **Truth be told, back when I first started this story I had written all Pokemon dialogue in bold specifically for the purpose of what happened in this chapter. I had planned for quite a long time for Diamond to evolve right here and suddenly be capable of actually speaking so I wanted to make it easier to figure out in what way she was speaking depending on if her dialogue was bolded or not. And don't worry, her being able to speak will be explained very soon and it should make a lot of sense.**

 **Oh and one final thing. I have finished the re-write for chapter one but I am debating on whether to hold off on posting it until I finish the rest or whether I should just post them upon completion. I'll give it a bit longer for some feedback on that because I am indecisive.**

 **Hope you all enjoyed, until next time. ~Aura**


	37. Chapter 37

**I wonder how much suspense I built by not posting this chapter for so long after the cliffhanger. That wasn't really my plan but it is something I considered. I don't really have much else to say here so let's move on to the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 37: Change of Pace**

An endless void of darkness. That was all Diamond could see as she lay motionless. Her body completely numb as she felt like she were floating through the abyss, gently swaying as if floating along endless waves. She could hardly even register her own thoughts as she were paralyzed with only one thought managing to reach her mind.

"Am I… dead?" She wondered. However, she soon began to feel something roll down her cheek, but was unable to reach up and feel what it was, the best she could do was assume it were a tear from the way it moved.

For a brief moment she felt something tightly grip around her head. A sharp pain like that of a needle piercing her arm. She wanted to pull her arm away from whatever was pinching her, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't move at all. Soon she began hearing a very faint and muffled beeping on her left, though she couldn't turn her head to see what it was. Eventually, Diamond could feel herself grow heavier and her thoughts returning to her.

An image flashed before her eyes. The last thing she could remember before the empty darkness she was now in. The last thing she had seen, was Aura crying above her. Oh how she desperately yearned for the feeling of his arms wrapped around her. To be held by him and feel the warmth of his loving embrace.

She could feel her cheeks grow damp as she could feel herself able to finally breath again. A light shined down from above her. She could feel it pulling her closer. Was this it? Was this the afterlife?

Becoming engulfed by the bright light, Diamond blinked her eyes open. She couldn't move, but she recognized what she could see as the emergency room of the Pokemon Center. Diamond quickly realized she could feel something strapped around her face, but more importantly, she could feel something clasped around her hand. Struggling to lift her head, Diamond wanted to cry as she saw Aura leaning against the edge of the bed, his hair covering his dreary face as he silently sat with both his hands holding Diamond's.

Diamond managed to weakly smile at him, not caring about anything else in that moment as she quietly muttered, "Aura?"

Aura quickly lifted his head and froze with his eyes wide and bloodshot from crying. He turned to face her with a few more tears streaming down his face. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. "D-Diamond?" He choked. As if witnessing his love return from the dead, Aura suddenly drew close and embraced her as gently as he could in his emotional state. He could hardly control his emotions as tears flowed down his face. "I-I was so worried! When you collapsed at the gym, I… I…" Aura pulled back and placed his hands on her arm. "I love you so much, Diamond." He sobbed.

He lowered his head as his tears continued to fall. He sat back in his chair and hunched over the bed, his whole body shook violently. Not wanting to see him like this any longer, Diamond forced herself to move her arm over and place her hand atop of his. He sharply inhaled as he felt her lightly squeeze his hand, looking up to see her warmly smiling at him with tears of her own flowing down either side of the clear oxygen mask strapped around her muzzle. "I love you too, Aura." She told him, still speaking in perfect English.

While the two of them stared deeply into each other's eyes, the beeping quickened it's pace to match Diamond's heart-rate. But this didn't stop them as Aura pressed his lips against her's, drawing out a passionate kiss for a full minute before pulling away for air.

Aura noticed Diamond's ears weakly twitch before turning around to the door. It slowly swung open as Nurse Joy poked her head in. "I'm glad to see you're awake. We got a notification from the monitors and came to see what was happening." She stepped into the room with another nurse following close behind. "I know this is an important moment for you both, but if you wouldn't mind, we need to do a quick examination to make sure everything is in order."

Aura looked at Diamond with his hand still holding her's. "I'm guessing you'll need me out of the room for this?" He asked, looking back to Nurse Joy.

She slowly nodded, "It would probably be best to have no distractions, but you don't need to worry, it's nothing serious, just some basic procedures like checking her blood pressure and vitals before giving her a quick physical exam." Joy bowed her head, "I'm sorry to make you leave so suddenly when your Pokemon only just woke up."

Aura waved his hand and started to stand up, "It's fine. I just want to know if she'll be okay." He made his way to the door, willing himself to not get overemotional as he had to leave his love's side. "Please, let me know if anything happens." Receiving a "will do" from the nurse, Aura left the room and stepped into the hallway.

"So? Is Diamond gonna be okay?" Lilly asked the second Aura had shut the door behind him.

Aura actually managed to smile at the rabbit, "Well so far she's finally awake." Everyone let out a collective sound of relief from the good news. "Right now Nurse Joy is making sure she's okay so they asked me to leave the room."

"Why couldn't they let you stay by her side?" Stan asked.

"They don't want any distractions in there and there might be some more… "private" things they need to do. At least that's what I'd assume since it's probably the main reason for me leaving." They all watched as Aura defeatedly sighed and slumped down into the plastic seating. "I just hope that everything is gonna be okay." He muttered into his hands.

Lilly sat on the seat next to him and placed her paw on his shoulder, "I'm sure Diamond will pull through this. She's strong, she even managed to evolve after taking so much damage and beat a Mega Pokemon just to help you win that badge. And if she can do that I'm sure she'll be fine."

Aura genuinly felt a lot better from the bunny's words. He smiled at her and wiped his eyes, "You're right, we've been through so much together already, she wouldn't let something like this keep her down forever…"

"Know that you have my support through this all, Master Aura. I too feel Miss Diamond will make it through, your bond with her has proven that much already." Prince affirmed, sitting beside Aura more casually than normal.

"Me too." Tia sat by Aura's feet and faced him, "Diamond would do anything to make you happy. She cares about you more than anything else."

Aura looked upon them all and smiled, "Thank you guys. I'm sure she will be fine, but hearing how you all feel really helps make it a lot easier to believe."

Roughly fifteen minutes after Aura had left the room, Nurse Joy and the other nurse have done multiple checks on Diamond's health. They had thoroughly checked her blood pressure and heart rate at the start before taking a quick blood sample as well. Diamond cringing as she felt the needle poke into her veins.

After that, Diamond couldn't help but feel shy when Nurse Joy informed her they would have to examine her breasts, though she didn't understand why, Diamond allowed them to gently move her long fur to the side to expose her small C-cup breasts and begin to lightly poke and prod them, being as gentle as possible while slightly shifting them to fully examine them. Covering her breasts like normal with her long yellow fur, Nurse Joy began to make her way down Diamond's body. "Let me know if you feel any kind of pain as I go, okay? Even the tiniest bit."

"O-okay?" Diamond replied, having her oxygen mask removed after Nurse Joy had checked her breathing, finding it returned to normal after she had awoken.

"Here I go." Joy affirmed, beginning to lightly poke her belly with her gloved fingers, going over multiple different spots closer to the center and working her way out. "Anything yet?" She asked again. Diamond slowly shook her head, although just as she were about to open her mouth to speak, she let out a sharp gasp and cringed as Joy prodded her side. "Are you okay?" She quickly asked, moving her hand away from the area.

Diamond let out a muffled "mmhm" and blinked away a small tear. "Is something wrong?" She squeaked.

Nurse Joy lowered down and very delicately brushed some fur aside to look at her side, "Don't worry too much, it looks like I just touched a bruise a bit to hard, must have been from the battle we were informed about."

Diamond looked at the nurse as she stood, "The fight?" She asked.

"You're trainer had told us exactly what happened before you collapsed so we could know what to look for." She explained. "Now, there's one last thing we'll need to check before we get your trainer back in here. It might be a little embarrassing, but it's necessary for us to make sure." Nurse Joy nodded to the other nurse and she walked to the other side of the bed, "We need to check your genitals for any difficulties."

Diamond felt her face grow extremely hot as it turned beet red. The heart monitor she was connected too started to beep much faster. "Y-you mean my-"

Nurse Joy nodded, "I'm sorry if it's a bit of an embarrassing subject, but it's mandatory for this kind of examination." Nurse Joy began to explain how it was going to work and that it wouldn't hurt at all. After a few minutes of explanation, Diamond let the nurses do what they needed to do, though she felt awkward the whole time they prepped. With Diamond in her current condition, the nurses had to assist her in lifting her legs and setting them in a pair of cushioned braces on either side of the bed that kept them comfortably spread apart. Also having to shift her dress-like fur to either side as well to give the nurses a clear view of the fox's privates.

Slipping on a clean pair of latex gloves, Nurse Joy knelt down between Diamond's legs, "Just relax and take calm breaths. This may feel a bit odd but nothing bad will happen."

Nodding, Diamond prepared herself and took a deep breath. She felt Nurse Joy's fingers begin to poke and prod her inner thighs, slowly making her way towards her crotch and doing the same thing above and around her womanhood. Diamond had to resist the urge to gasp as she felt her fingers trace around the fox's vagina, soon feeling her lips being gently pulled open as the nurse examined the pink flesh of her womanhood.

Nurse Joy pulled away and stood up while removing the gloves she had been wearing. Her and the second nurse gently set Diamond's legs back to their original position along with her dress-like fur. "Okay, everything seems to be in order," she said, taking the chart from Diamond's bed, "Looks like you and your egg are both in good health."

Diamond's eyes widened as she wondered if she had heard that correctly. "W-wait. What did you say?" She asked.

It had been over half an hour since Aura had left Diamond in the nurse's care. The halls were empty as he sent his Pokemon with Dan to have something to eat after he had stopped by to drop off Diamond's necklace, having offered to pick it up instead so Aura could stay with his love. Aura lightly stroked the polished gemstone embedded within the shimmering socket. He pulled out his phone and turned it on, the background being a picture he'd taken of Diamond happily standing in front of a beautiful waterfall they had camped by one night. He held the necklace up to the photo and smiled, it looked exactly how it did when he first got it and he knew Diamond would be happy to finally have it back.

Hearing the door open beside him, Aura returned both his phone and the necklace to his pockets and stood up eagerly. "Is Diamond going to be okay?"

The nurse smiled, "Why not see for yourself?" She said, leading Aura into the room where Diamond laid with a large smile across her face.

"Diamond? How are you feeling?" He asked, standing by her side.

She smiled at him, "I'm doing much better."

"You'll be happy to know that she'll be perfectly fine and will make a full recovery within a few days time." Nurse Joy explained.

Aura held onto her paw and looked at the nurse, "So do you know what happened to her in the first place that could have caused this?"

Joy flipped a paper on the clipboard and nodded, "Well going off the information you told us, she had become very weak after suddenly evolving and using Blast Burn which already drains a large amount of the Pokemon's energy. She had taken quite a bit of damage prior to that as well so she became overwhelmed and collapsed from exhaustion. Not to mention there's one other thing."

"What is it?" He felt Diamond grip his hand and turned to face her, the fox smiling wide with tears coming from her eyes.

"Aura." She said, "I'm pregnant."

His eyes widened in shock as he tripped over his words, he could hardly believe what he just heard. "Y-you mean…"

Diamond nodded, "Yes. You're going to be a dad."

* * *

That night, after double checking a few basic things, Nurse Joy had helped Aura seat Diamond in a wheelchair as she could still hardly move on her own.

"I can't believe it, I'm going to be a dad." Aura repeated.

Diamond giggled at his reaction, slowly rubbing her stomach as he wheeled her into the elevator, "I'm so happy that my first ever egg is with you, Aura."

"I feel the same way. This really changes things, it makes our relationship really feel more serious than before, doesn't it?" He asked. Diamond nodded in return. "But, what if I screw it up? What if I'm not a good father?! Am I even ready to raise a kid yet?!"

Diamond reached up and grasped his hand tightly. "Aura." She said softly. "I'm sure you'll be a great dad." Aura opened his mouth to speak, but Diamond squeezed his hand to stop him, "Don't worry too much. It's not like we're raising a bunch of human babies. Pokemon don't take as much effort to raise, remember, we usually grow and learn much faster than humans."

"I- I guess you have a point. Even if it has human blood it's still a Pokemon after all."

Diamond nodded, "Exactly, so don't worry about it too much, okay? Remember, we're not alone; I'm sure everyone else will be happy to help us get through this together."

The two smiled at each other happily. "Okay." Aura said, slowing down as they approached their suite. "I'll have to remember to call my mom and tell her the news as well." Aura opened the door while carefully pushing Diamond through, and to his surprise, sitting on the sofa was none other than Darlene and Kibbs. "M-Mom?!" He stammered, hardly able to believe his own eyes.

Darlene turned around and beamed with joy, "Aura!" She cried, quickly standing up as Kibbs hopped over the back of the sofa. The two of them rushed over as he wheeled Diamond further into the room. Darlene pulled her son into a cheerful embrace while Kibbs jumped up with her front paws on their legs. "I'm so proud of you, honey! You're growing up so fast!"

Aura awkwardly returned the embrace, glancing at Diamond before pulling away. "Th-thanks, Mom. But when did you guys get here?"

"We only just got into town about twenty minutes ago!" She explained, crouching down next to Diamond and gently hugging her as well. "We came as soon as we could after Arceus told us the good news!"

Aura and Diamond looked at each other wide eyed. "How long has she known about it? When did she tell you?" Aura inquired.

Darlene smiled at her son, "I'm sure you'll be able to ask her yourself later, but for now why don't we sit down? I'm sure you two are hungry, and the couch might be more comfortable than a wheelchair." Agreeing with his mother's suggestion, Aura brought Diamond toward the sofa and began to very gently help move her to the sofa. Once the pregnant Delphox was sat on the soft cushions, Aura moved the wheelchair before sitting beside his mate. "Here, you two, dig in." Darlene said as she set down a special tray in front of the pair with two plates of food on top. "I made sure to make something extra healthy for the… you know." She said with a wink.

"Heh. Thanks, Mom." Aura said. He glanced at Diamond, "Will you be able to eat on your own? I can help you if you need." He asked.

Diamond shook her head, "That's sweet of you, but I should be able to myself. Thanks." Looking at the plate full of finely cut meat and vegetables, Diamond slowly lifted her arm and took hold of the fork set in front of her. She had recovered enough of her strength to at least be able to lift her arms properly, and with the numbness almost completely gone, it wouldn't be that difficult to feed herself.

With everyone growing more curious by the second about what was going on, Dan finally asked what they were all thinking. "So, not to be rude or anything but what's this all about? Your mom kind of just showed up here and said it was because of some big news that Arceus told her."

Aura looked at his mother, "So you didn't tell them?"

Darlene sat beside him and shook her head, "It wouldn't be right if I were the one to tell everyone, would it? This is about you and Diamond."

Aura grinned, "I guess you're right." He looked at Diamond, "You wanna tell them together?" The fox looked at her food for a moment, she set down her fork and nodded at her mate.

Taking each other's hands, Aura and Diamond took a breath and prepared themselves for the big reveal. Quietly counting down from three, both of them spoke in unison. "We're having a baby."

Everyone let out a gasp of surprise before collectively congratulating the couple. Lilly, Tia, and Nessa hurried over to Diamond's side, all of them happily giving the expecting mother their best wishes and commendations, Stan and Prince doing the same.

"Oh~ I'm so happy for you!" Lilly chimed, practically bouncing with her paws on the armrest.

"I wonder if it'll be a boy or a girl?" Nessa said, standing beside Lilly.

Tia wiped a tear from her eye as this reminded her of the pup she had lost months ago. "If you ever need it, I'll always be willing to help you in any way I can."

Diamond looked around at her friends. "Thank you guys so much. I'd appreciate all the help I can get."

Stan's tail flicked rapidly from side to side as the star on it's tip flickered with small sparks surging across it. Being the energetic and outgoing Pokemon he was, the Luxio could hardly control his excitement. "This is so exciting! I can hardly wait to meet them!"

Prince bowed his head with a smirk, leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed. "This is truly a wonderful thing. I'm sure you'll be as good a father as you are a trainer, Master Aura."

"Thanks you guys. It's nice to know we have your support in this." Aura rubbed his head, "I'm still really nervous about it all."

"You every right to be nervous." Kibbs told him, placing her paw on his arm, "Being a parent is a huge responsibility and it can really change your life in so many ways. But I'm sure that you and Diamond will both be amazing parents and raise your child well." Aura smiled at the dog and pet her between the ears.

"So then, what do you plan to do?" Darlene asked, "

"What do you mean?"

She smirked. "Arceus told me that you'd be waiting to meet with Diantha before leaving. But with Diamond pregnant, are you thinking of staying here until the egg comes?"

Aura blinked, "I-I guess I never thought of that…" He looked at his mate, "Although now that I think about it, I'd rather us be where we can get help immediately if something happens. What do you think?"

Diamond paused. She looked down and held her belly contently, "I think it's a great idea. So long as we're together as a family."

Darlene and Kibbs looked at one another and nodded, "Well then, we'll be staying with you." Everyone turned to face the them. "What kind of mother wouldn't want to be with her son at a time like this if she could?"

Before anyone knew it, roughly an entire hour had gone by and things were quickly starting to quiet down. Stan and Lilly had completely worn themselves out from their excitement and were lying across each other on the soft carpet. Tia had fallen asleep close by with her head resting near Stan's. Dan and his Pokemon had retired to his room a bit earlier and Darlene had taken Kibbs to one of the unused bedrooms. Prince had fallen asleep sitting up in the couch's corner.

Meanwhile, Aura had made sure Diamond was lying comfortably on their bed as he moved her wheelchair against the wall. "Are you sure there's nothing else I can get you?" He asked for what must have been the fifth time already.

Diamond shook her head, "I'm fine, Aura. But it's nice to know you care so much." She told him.

"Of course I do. My girlfriend- I mean my mate- is pregnant with my child!"

Diamond blushed and looked away with a smile, "You know, Aura. I know humans don't usually call their partners "mates", so I don't mind if you call me your girlfriend. It actually feels kinda nice." She giggled.

Aura slid under the covers, his forehead glistening in nervous sweat though he smiled nonetheless, "O-okay then…" He stammered.

Once he was fully under the covers, Diamond reached over and grabbed his hand, urging him to come closer. As he did this, he was caught off guard as Diamond leaned closer and planted a kiss on his lips, pulling away with an almost sly smirk on her face, "Let's just get some sleep. I love you."

"Heh. Love you too." Laying on his side and resting his hand across her belly, Aura suddenly felt a strange wave of tiredness wash over him. He didn't even have a chance to register how exhausted he suddenly felt before suddenly falling fast asleep.

* * *

As if no time had passed at all from the moment they fell asleep, Aura and Diamond both awoke to find themselves sitting on a plush sofa together. "What the hell?" Aura groaned as his eyes adjusted to the sudden light around them. "You okay, Diamond?" Aura asked as he rubbed his eyes. Though they couldn't see each other, they could feel each other's presence.

He could hear Diamond sickly groaning beside him, "I-I think so. I just feel really dizzy."

"I'm terribly sorry, but the feeling should pass soon." They both heard a familiar, yet very different, voice speak up in front of them.

Aura forced himself to power through and open his eyes. Sitting across from them on a very regal yet simple sofa in an equally regal yet simplistic lounge was a peculiar looking woman that had a very similar appearance to Arceus. Her eyes were bright green and she wore a white and gold sundress over her curvy figure. Very short grey fur trailed up from her large bust all the way to her forehead where it became shrouded in her long silver hair. From what Aura could tell, the rest of her body was coated in clean white fur, though he assumed the grey fur wasn't only above her chest, but also covered her belly and possibly down to between her thighs.

"A-Arceus?" Aura asked. Though the woman looked like Arceus and he recognized the sensation of her contacting him through his dreams, he needed some form of clarification to set his mind at ease.

The woman nodded, "I am sure you're both confused about my current form and our location." Aura returned her nod. Arceus sipped from her cup, "I suppose we should have enough time for a brief explanation. The form you see me in now is known as a Pokemorph. Us legends are capable of taking on this form whenever we so desire. I had chosen to speak with you like this to create a more casual atmosphere for us."

"Aura? I don't feel so well." Diamond mumbled. Both Aura and Arceus looked to her as she slowly slid down the back of the sofa and rested her head against Aura's shoulder.

He quickly wrapped her arms around her in concern, "What's the matter? Are you getting sick?"

Arceus cleared her throat, "I-I believe that might be my fault." She said, setting down her cup of tea. "Minor dizziness and nausea is a side effect of having one's subconscious connected with another's. Your mind is more resistant to it's effects but Diamond hasn't fully adapted to it quite yet. That along with her physical body's condition it might have taken more of a toll on her than it would normally."

"What?!" Aura snapped.

Arceus recoiled a bit with an embarrassed blush, "D-don't worry. It has no affect on her physical form and it should pass very soon. Would you like something to drink to help you?"

Aura curiously looked at her, "Drink? Aren't we just in a dream right now?"

"In a sense, but at the same time it is also your very essence that I connect with during these visits, your body can still absorb nutrients here but little else can actually affect your bodies." She snapped her fingers with a fancy cart wheeling in from the next room with a fancy tea set on a tray. "Help yourself if you so desire." She said kindly.

Not entirely understanding how it worked, Aura decided no real harm could come from it so he quickly poured a cup for himself and Diamond, helping her sit up and handing her a cup. After a short break, Arceus began to explain that she chose her current form to hopefully make them see her more casually. "I'm going to be perfectly honest here," Arceus began as she carelessly lay back on the couch, "I don't very much enjoy the serious act I put on all the time, It feels so restraining. That's why I chose to appear like this and called you both to my lounge instead of the throne room."

Aura awkwardly rubbed his head, "I guess I can understand that."

Arceus smiled kindly at him, chortling a bit as she waved her hand, "I know it's a bit strange to see a god-like being act so unprofessional, but this is how all us Legendary Pokemon normally act when not around others. Personally I feel trying to keep that up with you would be pointless." She leaned forward, looking a bit more serious now, "Although this doesn't mean my advice has changed in the slightest nor will I ever treat any situation any differently, I only wish to have a more casual relationship with you, Aura. I realize you already have a lot of pressure on you from not only your responsibilities as the Grand Guardian, but now as an expecting father."

"I can understand that." Her replied. "It does feel a bit more relaxing to talk with you like this though." Diamond nodded in agreement, her head feeling much better than before.

"Now," Arceus began, "Time here moves slightly faster than the physical world so we should move on to the main reason I called you here. You have some questions for me if I'm not mistaken?"

Aura nodded, "Yes, we do." He paused and set down the cup he was holding, "I guess the first thing I wanna know is who else you told about our baby?"

Arceus rubbed her chin, "Oh yes. Well you are already aware of me telling Darlene, but aside from her I only told one other person. Alice." Aura and Diamond glanced at each other as they remembered the Healing Guardian nurse from Lumiose City. "She was the first one I contacted the moment I became aware of Diamond's pregnancy. I then recently contacted her again last night to request her assistance. I am aware you are still quite young and lack certain experience and knowledge of parenthood and caring for your mate, so I had asked her to help you take care of Diamond until further notice. In fact, she should arrive within another day or two at the latest."

Aura knew Arceus was right about asking Alice for help. He had no idea how to take care of a pregnant woman and they both knew they could trust Alice completely. "So I'm guessing this is why you had us get a VIP suite?" Aura asked a little condescending.

Arceus smirked, "So you found me out huh? Well I suppose I should explain that." To their surprise, Arceus brought out a champagne bottle and a wineglass from under the table, pouring herself a glass and taking a quick swig. "Truth be told I had always intended for you to progress with nothing but simple guidance from me like a mentor. I never actually anticipated the two of you being in a serious relationship like this let alone having a child, so I had made the decision to speak with Diantha about this. I requested you be given access to a more suitable place to raise your family and she suggested giving you a VIP status for it. You can ask Diantha more about it when you meet her."

"Wow… This is a lot to take in," Aura said as he scratched his head. "Thanks, Arceus. I'm glad you're looking out for us."

Arceus waved it off, "Please, it's my pleasure. Although it seems we are running out of time, is there any other questions you'd like to ask?"

Diamond and Aura looked at each other and shook their heads. "I guess we're okay for now?" Diamond said.

"Yeah, if we missed anything I'm sure we'll figure it out eventually, right?" He said, winking at Arceus.

The legend nodded, "Very well, I will unlink your subconscious and you will return to your normal slumbers. But before you go, please remember that if you ever need my guidance, now more than ever, don't be afraid to ask." Aura and Diamond began to feel themselves getting sleepy as their vision turned black. "Sweet dreams, my child." Arceus muttered before the two suddenly blacked out. Arceus sighed, taking the bottle of champagne and shamelessly drinking from it, "If only he could know the truth."

* * *

 **And there you have it. For the longest time I had been anticipating this portion of the story since very early on. I had actually been debating on some details though that would have probably caused some huge alterations to the plot, but I managed to come to a final decision before reaching this point in the story.**

 **Hopefully you guys enjoy the story so far and are looking forward to see more. Until next time. Aura~**


	38. Chapter 38

**Fair warning, as you all should know, morning sickness is a big part of pregnancy. The start of this chapter does contain a scene with Diamond going through morning sickness but it shouldn't be too bad overall. But if you don't want to read about this subject at all, it should be easy to tell when the sickness is about to start so it should be easy to avoid.**

 **With my updated writing style I do plan to add more, quote on quote,** _ **graphic**_ **content because of what is yet to come in the story. Next time I may not give this warning ahead of time but it should usually be easy to avoid.**

 **This chapter I will be having this universe' concept of Pokemorphs explained in detail so expect a long dialogue closer to the end of the chapter as there is a LOT of stuff that needs to be explained.**

* * *

 **Chapter 38: Housecall**

After their short visit with Arceus, Diamond had awoken to find herself back in bed with Aura.

She felt a strong sense of security upon realizing Aura had pulled her into an embrace whilst they slept and was spooning her with his arm draped over her belly. Diamond warmly smiled as she felt Aura's heart beat against her upper back and his slow steady breathing brush past her ears, making them lightly twitch every so often. He was still fast asleep.

Though curious as to why she had awoken much sooner despite Arceus sending them both back at the same time, she decided to just enjoy this moment rather than question the logic, that is, until she began to feel uneasy all of a sudden with a sickening pressure rising up from her gut. She let out a nauseous groan before the horrid sensation worsened and her whole body tensed up.

In a flight of panic, Diamond completely disregarded her sleeping mate as she hastily threw off the blanket and scrambled out of bed. Aura jumped awake from the sudden jerking of the bed just in time to see Diamond rushing to the bathroom with her hands clasped over her mouth. Aura couldn't even call her name before she sprinted into the bathroom and flung the toilet seat up with a bang.

Diamond dropped to her knees with her hands tightly gripping the edges of the toilet as she violently gagged into the bowl. She hadn't even noticed Aura rushing to the bathroom to check on her as she stared into the toilet bowl with teary eyes. In that moment she felt her entire body tense up and lurch forward as the putrid sickness shot from her mouth and into the toilet. As soon as it stopped Diamond gasped for air, ignoring the terrible smell wafting through the room as she felt the sickness rise again. After another few seconds of throwing up, Diamond panted and gasped for air again. She swore under her breath as she began to feel her stomach finally start to settle down.

Releasing another groan of pain, she let go of the toilet and slumped back, her whole being shivered as she slowly scooched toward the jacuzzi-tub and rested against it, a few small trails of vomit dangled from the fur of her muzzle.

"Are you okay?" She heard Aura ask, finally looking up at him. She watched as he stepped into the bathroom, quickly flushing the toilet and closing the lid before taking a facecloth and wetting it in the sink. "Here." He said as he knelt down and held up the damp cloth.

Diamond took it in her hand and sheepishly smiled at her mate. "Thank you." she whispered, starting to wipe her muzzle clean. "I'm sorry for waking you up."

Aura took the cloth once she was done and brought it back to the sink, Diamond giggling weakly as he gagged a bit while rinsing it off. Leaving the cloth in the sink, he quickly calmed his nerves and knelt down beside her. "It's fine. I'm more worried about you right now though." He gently helped her stand up and sit on the edge of the jacuzzi-tub. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that was the morning sickness kicking in." Aura rubbed her back, "How you feeling now?"

She held her stomach and groaned. "Still not too good." She muttered, her voice sounding a bit strained. She abruptly leaned over and spit into the tub, "Ugh! My mouth just tastes terrible now too." She whimpered.

"I think I can help with that. Can you stand?" He asked. Diamond paused a bit before nodding. Letting Aura place her arm around his neck, Diamond stood up with his support, her legs shaking slightly but managing to hold her weight. The two stepped up to the sink and Aura hastily tossed the cloth down the countertop. Wiping off his hand on his shorts, Aura reached over and grabbed his toothbrush and held it up.

"Your toothbrush?" Diamond asked quizzically.

"Yep. I figured this would be the easiest way to deal with the taste… and your breath." He explained.

Diamond glanced away shyly, "But if I use it then it'll be ruined."

Aura shrugged, "They're not that expensive so I can just get a new one. And right now I'm pretty sure you need it more than I do." Once he was sure Diamond could stand on her own, Aura prepared the toothbrush for her. "You've seen how I've used it, right?"

Diamond nodded with hesitation. She'd watched curiously in the past whilst the two would get ready in the mornings, but as a Pokemon she'd never actually used such hygene products. Aura simply smiled and put the toothbrush in her paw. For the next few minutes the two stood in the bathroom while Aura patiently taught his mate how to use a toothbrush, almost finding the whole situation a little ironic as he would probably also have to teach their kit too.

Spitting the foamy paste into the sink, Aura handed Diamond a cup of water to rinse her mouth. He actually had to force himself to not laugh from the sight of her cheeks puffing out. "Better?" Aura asked, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

Diamond grabbed his hand and smiled, "Yes. Thank you, Aura." She leaned against his chest and closed her eyes, feeling them slightly burning from her abrupt awakening as well as the harsh tiredness that washed over her.

"Whoa!" Aura cried as Diamond's legs suddenly gave out, all of her weight falling against him and nearly knocking him over as he caught her. "I think you should maybe lie down for a while. I don't want to risk you getting hurt."

She groaned and slowly blinked at him. Her head throbbed and her whole body ached, she felt so tired all of a sudden that she could barely stand up straight. With a short grunt, Diamond rubbed her head and looked at Aura, "Mmh- yeah. Maybe I should just go back to bed for now…" She let out a yawn, "Can you carry me?" She asked.

Aura chuckled, agreeing to carry her to the bed without hesitation. As he lifted her into his arms bridal style, he let out a faint wheeze and grunted, "You've gotten a bit heavier since you evolved. I can only imagine how much you'll weigh in a week or two." He teased. She scoffed at him, playfully hitting him in the back of the head with a tired smirk before wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning her head on his shoulder. After setting her on the bed, Aura walked to the window and opened it, "This should air out the room a bit better." He mumbled, turning around to face his pregnant partner. "I'm gonna go get started on breakfast. But first, is there anything you need me to do?"

Diamond lazily shook her head, "I should be fine, thank you."

Aura nodded, "Anytime, Diamond. I'll be sure to come check on you in a few minutes before I start breakfast." Leaving their bedroom, Aura shut the door quietly behind him and headed towards the kitchen in the opposite corner of the suite. "Maybe I should get her some water at least."He muttered. As he walked past the couch where his Pokemon had all slept last night, he hadn't noticed Lilly curiously poking her head over the couch.

Turning back to look over the other Pokemon, Lilly didn't want to wake them by mistake, so slowly stepping back onto the floor, the rabbit Pokemon quietly walked around the large sofa, her fluffy paws helping muffle her footsteps. Poking her head around the corner of the lower kitchen cabinets, Lilly watched her trainer reach up into the cupboard and pull out a glass. Her ears twitched from the sudden clinking. She stepped out into view and cleared her throat, "Aura?"

Aura jumped, nearly dropping the glass in his hands. He quickly spun around to see the Lopunny looking almost as startled as he was. He let out a sigh. "Oh, good morning, Lilly. You need anything?" He inquired, turning to the sink and running the water. Looking back at Lilly while holding his hand under the faucet.

The rabbit poked her fingers together, "I was just wondering if everything was alright? I overheard some stuff from your room a little bit ago and it sounded like something was wrong."

Aura looked at her curiously, was she eavesdropping on them? But then he acknowledged the size of her ears that hung behind her, feeling a bit dumb for forgetting them. He scratched his cheek, "Well things could be a bit better. Diamond had a bit of a stomach issue, I'm assuming it's just the morning sickness from pregnancy but I might have her checked just in case." He gazed at the ceiling, "I never actually knew Pokemon could get morning sickness."

"That's terrible!" Lilly gasped behind her paws.

Aura meekly shrugged, "I don't think it's _that_ bad, morning sickness is a normal thing. Besides," he faced the sink to fill the glass and shut off the water, "I'd rather not worry myself too much right now. Once Alice gets here I can ask her to check on Diamond for me."

"Alice?" She asked, titling her head with a puzzled expression.

"Oh yeah, you've never actually met Alice. Now that I think about it, I don't think Tia has either." He started to walk back to the bedroom with Lilly close behind. "Alice is a Guardian that we met back in Lumiose City, Arceus had asked her to help me recover faster after Diamond and I fell from the tower."

Lilly jolted wide-eyed, "You fell from a tower?!" She cried in a hushed voice. Aura awkwardly laughed.

"Right, there's still a lot I should catch you up on. But let's save it for another time, right now I'm gonna give Diamond this water and get started on breakfast." With that, Aura slowly opened the bedroom door and entered with Lilly in tow. "Feelin' any better yet?" He asked.

Diamond groaned, "Yeah, most of the pain has passed already, but I'm still-" she yawned, "still pretty tired."

Aura walked around to her side of the bed, "Well I brought you a glass of water if you need. I know you said you were fine but I'd rather be safe than sorry."

She smiled, "That's sweet of you. Thanks." As Aura set the water down on the bedside table, she noticed Lilly from the corner of her eye standing by the far wall. "Morning, Lilly. Is everyone else up already?" She asked.

Lilly shook her head, "Naw, I just woke up early." She walked over next to the bed. "Aura told me you weren't feeling well this morning so I was a bit concerned. You know, with the baby and all."

Diamond chuckled, "It's nice to know you feel that way." Lilly smiled, though she stared at the fox a little perplexed. Diamond blink curiously and reached up to her muzzle, "Is there something on my face still?" She asked.

Lilly flinched and quickly shook her head again, her ears twirling around with her head, "N-no. Sorry for staring but I can't help but notice you seem to be acting differently than you would before."

A puzzled expression appeared on the fox's face. "Really?"

"It's probably because she evolved yesterday." Aura said aloud. The two looked at him as he leaned against the wall. "It's subtle, but you do seem a bit more mature than when you were a Braixen. You did make a lot of progress breaking out of your shell, so evolving probably sped up the proccess more."

"I guess I never really thought about it?"

Aura smirked, "Well like I said, this time it's a bit more subtle than it was when you evolved into a Braixen." He pushed off the wall and leaned toward her, "But no matter how much you've grown, you're still the same Pokemon I fell in love with." He pecked her on the lips and straightened up. "I should go get started on breakfast now, you coming, Lilly?"

Lilly glanced at him, "Uh-huh." She looked back at Diamond to see her let out a small yawn. "See you later. Hope you feel better."

Stepping away from the bed, Lilly and Aura walked to the door. Aura stopped for a moment, "Get some rest, I'll come get you once breakfast is ready." Smiling at his mate, Aura stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him.

* * *

It had been roughly an hour since Diamond's morning sickness incident, and since then almost everyone had woken up and were going about their morning in the suite's main room. The only ones who were still sleeping was Dan and his Pokemon. Darlene took over making breakfast for everyone shortly after waking up herself, so Aura decided to take this time to relax on the couch with the rest of his Pokemon and do a bit of research about Pokemon pregnancy.

The TV was currently turned on to a movie that Aura had never really seen before, but the Pokemon seemed to enjoy it enough so he left it on for them to watch, well, most of them. The only ones who were actually sitting and watching the movie was Stan, Lilly, and Tia. Kibbs had dozed off halfway through against Aura's leg and Prince was quietly sitting by the window looking out towards the Tower of Mastery in the distance.

"Alright everyone, breakfast is just about ready!" Darlene announced as she lifted a pancake from the pan and set it atop an already large stack. The golden brown pastries cooked with finely chopped Oran and Leppa Berries especially for the Pokemon.

Aura stood up and looked over his shoulder, "Thanks, Mom. I'll go get Diamond." He started walking around the couch, apologizing to the others as he passed in front of the screen, "Hey, Prince? Do you mind going and waking up Dan for us?"

The jackal looked over and nodded, "Certainly." Standing up from the cushioned chair, Prince made his way across the room towards Dan's bedroom while Aura gently opened his bedroom door.

"Diamond? You awake?" Aura quietly asked. He saw the sheets russel for a moment before Diamond's ear poked up over the covered mound. "Diamond?" He asked again, this time slightly louder. The fox's ear twitched, she yawned and shuffled around a bit more until eventually lifting her head and looking back at her mate, smiling as she yawned again and began to sit up with the blanket lazily falling from her shoulders and across her legs. Aura smiled in return and walked closer, sitting on the edge of the bed next to her. "Feeling any better now?"

Diamond rubbed her eyes and nodded, "Yeah, much better." She mumbled.

"Good. My mom made breakfast if you feel well enough to eat something." As he was speaking, he glanced at the water cup he brought her before and saw it was empty. With nothing more than a short grunt she silently nodded her head, though the though of food made her stomach growl. She blushed and rubbed it tenderly. Aura laughed, "Come on, I can help you walk if you need."

Standing up, he gave her room to slowly drag the blanket from her legs and turn to the side. She tiredly set her foot on the wooden flooring, though she jerked it back a bit as her pawpads hit the smooth floor. "C-cold." She stuttered.

Aura looked at her a bit confused, but then he took out his phone and turned on the screen. Diamond curiously watched him scroll through his phone, the trainer letting out an "ah!" as he found what he was looking for. "I knew I saw something about this." He began to read aloud. "During pregnancy, the body heat of Fire type Pokemon will always be centered around their core, more so while asleep, so that the egg is kept properly warm at all times, leaving other parts of their body with less warmth than usual."

Diamond looked at her arms for a moment and then to her legs, noticing they had become significantly colder than before. Sighing, she pushed her feet to the floor and stood up, hissing a bit as her stiffened muscles still ached. Her stomach rumbled again, the smell of food wafting in through the partially open door. For a moment she felt her knees buckle from her weight and stumbled into Aura. "Sorry."

He shrugged, "Not your fault. Now let's go get you something to eat, and if you start to feel sick at all let me know." Diamond nodded. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder and holding onto her, Aura helped her walk out to the main room.

Just as the couple exit their bedroom there was a knock at the suite's door. "I'll get it." Darlene put down the dishtowel she was using and hurried around the extended counter to the door. Unlocking it, she pulled it open to see a woman with long green hair standing in the hallway with a Lucario by her side. Darlene smiled, "Oh you must be Alice? Arceus told me you'd be coming today."

Aura and Diamond both perked up, Arceus had told them last night that Alice would be coming, but they were just surprised she had arrived so soon.

Alice smirked and briefly nodded, "Uh-huh. And you must be Darlene. It's a pleasure to meet the mother of the Grand Guardian." She gestured to the Lucario, "This is my partner, Lee." Lee raised his paw and flicked it to the side coolly.

"Well isn't he just adorable!" Darlene commented, making Lee suddenly flinch a bit and blush. The two women laughed. "Would you like to come in? I just made breakfast if you're hungry."

The Healing Guardian smiled, "Thank you very much." With a polite bow, Alice picked up a suitcase that was against the wall while Lee grabbed the handle of a rolling suitcase and followed his trainer into the suite. As Darlene shut the door behind them, Alice stopped when she noticed Aura and the newly evolved Diamond standing across the room. She smiled cutely and waved to them, "Long time no see you two!" She gleefully chimed, walking closer with Lee still loyally at her heels.

"It's nice to see you too, Alice." Aura greeted, "Sorry but could you hold on a bit? I was just helping Diamond to get some food."

Alice smiled in adoration, "Daww~ Look at you being a responsible boyfriend." She teased. Aura and Lee both rolled their eyes at the nurse while Aura resumed to assist Diamond toward the table.

"Alright, here we go," Aura said as he pulled out a chair for Diamond, crouching down slightly so she could better adjust and sit down. Just as Aura pushed her chair closer to the table Darlene had set down a plate of food and a glass of water.

Diamond smiled and glanced up at the woman, "Thank you, Darlene, this looks great." She praised, taking the silverware and cutting into the soft pancakes.

Darlene chuckled in response, "You're very welcome. I did come all the way out here so I could help, so making a healthy breakfast for my future daughter-in-law is the least I can do." She cheerfully exclaimed.

The Delphox blushed, being called daughter-in-law made her feel giddy as she delightfully swooned over the thought of her and Aura's bright future together.

"Diamond?" She heard Aura's voice. She shook herself from her daydream and blinked. "You sure you're feeling better?" He asked her again.

Diamond blushed and looked at her food, "S-sorry. I feel fine. Just kind of got lost in my thoughts." She giggled again as another image of their happy future flashed in her mind.

Aura looked at her a little curiously. "If you say so." Across the room the door to Dan's bedroom opened with Prince stepping out. "Did you wake Dan up?" Aura asked the jackal. Prince bowed his head slightly in response and continued towards them. Sure enough only a few seconds later Dan's door opened up again with the trainer stepping out in a dark green t-shirt and black shorts, Missy and Nessa walking at his heels.

"Morning everyone." He said with a yawn. As Dan took a second to rub his tired eyes, he abruptly stopped in the middle of the room once he notice the green-haired woman by the table. He opened his mouth confused, "Uhm~ Hello?" He awkwardly said with a slight wave of his hand.

"Oh right, I forgot you two never properly met each other!" Aura pointed out and gestured to Alice, "This is Alice, she was the nurse Arceus sent to heal me back when we were in Lumiose City."

Alice bobbed her head, "Yep. And you must be Daniel Sanlow. When Lady Arceus mentioned you I thought you sounded familiar."

A sudden clapping halted the conversation with everyone looking towards Darlene. "Sorry to interrupt but let's hurry up and eat before breakfast gets cold."

Within another few minutes everyone had gotten their breakfast and were conversing as they ate.

Poking at his food, Aura quietly sighed and turned to Alice. "Hey, Alice? Mind if I ask you something?" The Healing Guardian looked up from her own plate and nodded, ushering him to go ahead. "Last night when Arecus spoke to me and Diamond, she was in a completely different form, she said it was called a "Pokemorph" but didn't say much else. You wouldn't happen to know more about them, would you?"

Alice set down her fork and leaned back, "Well I do know a few things, but it'll be a pretty hard to actually explain without a lot of details, it could take quite a while."

"Well we don't have any other plans for the day," Darlene chimed in, "plus it'd probably be better for Aura to learn as much as he can while we're here."

Alice shrugged, "Okay then. Pokemorphs are sort of a cross between a human and Pokemon but with a very unique property, they can manipulate elemental auras like fire and ice depending on their species. Although it's still pretty rare, they are most commonly born from Guardian and Pokemon parents who possess powerful auras themselves."

"So is our child going to be born a Morph?" Aura asked.

Alice shook her head, "No you two won't have to worry about that, your child will most likely be born as a Guardian Pokemon. Under normal circumstances where a Guardian mates with a Pokemon, if the mother is the Pokemon then the offspring will very likely be born as a Guardian Pokemon which is pretty much just a normal Pokemon but with special Guardian abilities alongside their normal Pokemon abilities. Same goes for if a human male mates with a female Guardian Pokemon. Pretty much as long as one or both parents contain Guardian essence then the offspring will have a higher chance of adopting those genes over all others."

"But what about Morphs? Where do they tie into all this and why have we never heard of them before?" Dan inquired.

"Well for starters, long ago all records of Morphs ever existing was destroyed. That's why very little have ever even heard of them, almost like how Guardians are considered to be just a fairy tale and a myth nowadays while Morphs were pretty much forgotten entirely. Though they still exist in out world today, they live in hidden villages all over the planet with other Guardians to keep them safe from harm. Just as many humans shun interspecies relationships, we fear they may do even worse to Morphs if they were to be revealed at the wrong time. Not to mention the Corrupted Guardians have basically tried to hunt them down for years to enslave them due to their increased and unique abilities."

"A lot of Guardians believe that the reason we Guardians are the only ones able to produce a Morph child is because we're like a link between the two species and might even have some Pokemon DNA ourselves. Though I think the Pokemon DNA thing is just a rumor since I've never found any trace of it in my own DNA, but since the Guardians were originally created by the legends thousands of years ago to protect the balance, they may have given us unique genetics that are almost identical to humans but still allow us to communicate and breed with Pokemon. However it's still not enough to breed with certain species, like almost all aquatic Pokemon that can't live on land, and some Pokemon we can only understand to a certain extent like Voltorb, Magnemite, and almost every kind of fish Pokemon. Pretty much anything that doesn't really communicate through a voice but through very specific sound frequencies or movements or other non-verbal methods of communication."

Aura leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling as he processed the huge load of information that was dropped on him, thinking about it all nearly giving him a headache. "Wow… I can kind of see now why Arceus keeps our talks short. All this stuff about Morphs, our DNA, and how there's thousands of years worth of history behind the Aura Guardians. Not to mention how I'm going to be a dad now. It's just so overwhelming!" He groaned, "But I guess this is just another one of my responsibilities that come with being the Grand Guardian."

He felt a hand grasp his arm and turned his head towards his mate. "This might be a lot for us to take in so suddenly, but let's try not to think about it all at once. Right now I'd rather we just take it easy while we have the chance, besides," she began to rub her belly, "we have something else we need to think about."

Smiling as he watched his mate contently caress her belly, Aura sighed and placed his hand atop Diamond's, gently holding it against her stomach. "You're right. There's still a lot I need to learn about being the Grand Guardian, but I also have a family I need to look out for now too. And right now they're much more important to me than anything else."

The couple warmly smiled at one another, Diamond planting a quick kiss on Aura's lips before leaning against him and resting her head against his shoulder. The two of them both happily looking forward to a bright new future together. A future together as a family.

* * *

 **Upon posting this chapter I have finished revising chapters 1 through 5. I hope this will be the last time I will do this since it takes too much of my time. Although, about halfway through I lost the motivation to revise them which is mentioned in the authors notes and I decided to pretty much just stop at chapter 6... Honestly I don't really have much else to note here at the moment so I guess for now I'll just leave it at this.**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed. Until next time. ~Aura**


	39. Chapter 39

**Sorry for the short chapter but I just wanted to hurry up and finish it.**

 **Chapter 39: Your Training Begins Now!**

Another couple days had passed by since Alice's arrival. It was currently around ten in the morning and, like the past few days, Dan had left earlier that morning to meet with one if the Center's doctors so he could learn more about Pokemon medical treatments. It was rather convenient that there was a class being taught by some very skilled Pokemon Doctors and Breeders about proper Pokemon care, but that didn't stop Dan from enrolling the first chance he got.

But unlike Dan, who's lately been able to get up early, Aura and Diamond had developed a tendency to sleep in a bit longer, in exception to the days Diamond's morning sickness would come early. This morning, however, Diamond thankfully wasn't given such an unpleasant awakening and was still fast asleep, curled up in Aura's arms and her back pressed firmly against his chest. Meanwhile, in the main room of the suite, everyone else was wide awake and were mostly finished their breakfasts. All the Pokemon where on the sofa with the TV switched on and a mystery show playing for them, strangely enough they all found it rather interesting, even Prince was quietly sitting back and watching the screen.

Over by the table, Alice let out a shallow groan and set down the book she was reading, Lee placing his mug of coffee on a coaster and looking at his mate. "Starting to get impatient?" He asked.

Alice sighed and picked up her own coffee, "Kind of. Those two have been sleeping in so much lately. I know this is a time for them to finally get some much needed relaxation, but I'd like to make sure Diamond's in good health at a consistent time."

Lee shrugged and took another swig from his mug, "Well they do have a lot of responsibility now, and not just with the Corrupted Guardians."

"And they probably won't get a good night sleep for a while after their kit is born." Darlene added whilst washing their breakfast dishes.

Another sigh escaped Alice's lips, "I guess so. But if they don't wake up in one more hour, I'm gonna go and wake them myself."

Right on queue the door to Aura's bedroom slowly creaked open with the trainer stepping out with a yawn, "Morning, everyone." Behind him, Diamond tiredly dragged her feet along the floor, swaying side to side a bit with every step she took. Though it was unlikely she'd actually fall over, Aura still decided it best to give her a little extra support and walked close beside her.

"About time you got up," Alice said with a hint of annoyance in her tone. "So, any issues this morning?"

Diamond sat down in the chair beside her while Aura went to grab their breakfast. "Thankfully I woke up without getting sick," she mumbled, lazily supporting her head up in her hand with her arm planted against the table. The fox let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes, groaning a bit as her ears began to twitch from the echoing sounds of the TV.

"But she did have a hard time sleeping last night." Aura added. He set down their plates and sat across from his girlfriend. "I felt you rolling around quite a bit and muttering something in your sleep. Something bothering you?"

She grunted and poked at the food set in front of her, "Not really. I think it's just the pregnancy." A short squeak suddenly escaped her lips as the Delphox felt a hand press up against her forehead.

Alice hummed and pulled her hand back, "Sorry, just wanted to see if you were getting a fever. But you feel perfectly fine so it might just be some anxiety, it'd probably be best for you to talk about whatever might be causing it though."

Diamond cut into her food and sighed, "I don't know. This is all new for me." She stuck the piece of food into her maw.

"Well whatever it is, you can be sure that I'll always be willing to help you." Aura affirmed, reaching over the table and patting her shoulder. With little else to say, they resumed eating their breakfast, Alice reminding Diamond to take the medicine and vitamins she prescribed to keep her and the egg in good health along with her daily checkup.

On the day Alice arrived in Shalour City, she had requested to take a look at Diamond's health, using her aura to be more thorough due to her already strong essence and the chance of their child adopting even more powerful energy from Aura's DNA- which was later confirmed that their kit would contain a higher aura frequency than other Guardian born Pokemon- but during her examination, Alice had discovered that Diamond was indeed lacking quite a bit of her normal nutrients, which inevitably lead to her sudden condition after the use of Blast Burn, since they were unaware of her pregnancy for the first week with much of her needed nutrition being absorbed by the egg without realizing. For this, Alice prescribed Diamond with multiple vitamins and some medicine to make up for it, giving her a checkup ever day to keep tabs on any improvements, and so far they showed to be working as intended.

Before long, the two had finished their breakfast and Aura took their empty plates to the sink. Diamond contently sighed with her stomach full and her energy restored. "So? How you feeling?" Alice asked, cracking open the bottle of vitamins. Diamond opened her mouth to answer, but she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"I got it!" Aura called. He hurried to the door and pulled it open to be met by an unfamiliar man wearing some sort of training uniform with a small, string-tied bag slung over his shoulder.

The man bowed, "Are you Aura Borealis?" Aura slowly nodded. The man slid the bag off his shoulder and reached inside, pulling out an envelope and held it out, "I was sent here to deliver this letter to you on behalf of Master Gurkinn." After handing the letter to Aura, the man bowed again before taking his leave with a quick goodbye.

Raising a curious eyebrow at the man then at the letter, Aura shrugged and closed the door. "That was unexpected."

"Who was that?" He heard Lilly ask from behind the couch, having heard the knocking too and curiously poking over the back of it.

Aura held up the envelope, "I don't know who he was exactly, but I guess Gurkinn sent him to drop off a message." He stared at the letter, "Wonder what he wants to meet us about?"

His train of thought was suddenly broken by the loud screech of a chair forcefully scraping against the floor rang throughout the suite. He quickly looked over to the source and noticed Diamond had jumped up from her seat with her hands cupped over her mouth. Her chair crashed to the floor as she took off sprinting toward her and Aura's bedroom, scrambling as she turned in the door while everyone else watched in concern. Aura didn't miss a step as he ran after his girlfriend to make sure she was okay, having to force himself to stay strong as he entered and shut the bedroom door.

With the entrance to the bathroom being directly to the right upon entering the bedroom, Aura looked in as his mate sat on her knees with her head over the toilet bowl. She violently coughed and gagged until finally lurching forward and relieving her body of the vile sickness. Before going in to check on her, Aura quickly ran to open the window first. After hearing another wave of sickness come from the Delphox, Aura walked in and knelt down beside her, soothingly rubbing her back as she gasped for air.

After a minute or so of nothing more than a few coughs and gags, Diamond could feel her gut calm down and leaned back. Like the last few times Diamond had morning sickness, Aura took the time to help her clean off and comfort her until she felt better.

"Thanks again." She said, leaning her head against Aura's shoulder.

Giving her a quick hug in response, Aura helped the canine to her feet and they left the room together. "I know Gurkinn wanted to meet with me today, but you come first. And we're not going anywhere until you feel better." Embracing her a little tighter as he said this, Aura lead her out of the bedroom with most of the others asking right away how she was feeling. It was nice to have so many friends who cared about her.

* * *

 _[Real quick, I know that just kind of ended abruptly but I did it so I could move on with the chapter. I might have to do more hard cuts like this in the future to avoid getting stuck but I'll try to transition with a decent line.]_

Within the letter Aura had received, it briefly explained that Gurkinn had taken an interest in both Aura and Prince during the gym battle and wished to speak with them about some kind of "special training" if they were available, and considering they had no actual plan for the day anyway, this seemed like as good a time as any. However, while Aura and Prince were going to meet with Gurkinn about the training he mentioned, Alice had decided to use this time to enjoy the nice weather.

Before they left for the Tower of Mastery, Alice and Darlene had changed into their swimwear and brought along some beach gear for them. Trailing behind Aura and Prince, Lee was carrying a small cooler of assorted drinks while Alice had a duffel bag stuffed with towels, sunscreen, and other beach-going necessities. Alice had even managed to get a few things for the Pokemon as well.

Hanging from his tail, Stan carried with him a blue bag that contained a couple inflatable beach balls and some other small beach toys.

Not knowing how to swim, Lilly was given a pair of children's water wings because of her small body and a small inner tube to float around with, the rabbit Pokemon carrying it fully inflated around her waist with a youthful smile and a skip in her step.

Tia wasn't really as excited as the others when it came to the beach, preferring to simply enjoy the ocean breeze and watch the others from the shade. Although that didn't stop Stan and Lilly from trying to convince her to have some fun with them.

Diamond and Kibbs walked alongside Darlene who carried a beach umbrella under one arm and a few folding beach chairs tied together in a bundle. Multiple times Diamond had offered to help carry something too, but she was repeatedly denied and told to just relax and enjoy herself. Obviously they did this because she was almost three weeks pregnant with a noticeable bulge forming at her stomach, and granted she fully understood that, but it didn't change the fact that she still hated to just sit back and watch as others do all the work she could easily be helping with. Even if she can help with the simplest of tasks given to her, it left her with a pleasant sense of accomplishment.

Eventually they came to a compromise and Diamond casually carried along a basket containing some of their lunch. Kibbs carried a similar basket in her mouth with more of the food.

Soon enough, the group was walking along the stretch of sandy land that connected the small island to the main shore. Outside the large archway at the base of the stairs, Aura spotted Gurkinn and Korrina standing with their Lucarios beside them. Korrina and her Lucario happily waved to the crew as they approached, the Gym Leader seemed to have the same idea as Alice since she was wearing a red and white bikini, while Gurkinn and his Lucario appeared to be more professional as they simply stood quietly with crossed arms and watched them approach.

"So you recieved my letter I presume?" Gurkinn asked seriously as Aura approached. Aura nodded and held it up. "Good, now come along. I should explain a few things before we begin."

Without another word, Gurkinn walked up the stone stairs and pushed open the large doors. Aura looked at the others and then to Prince before everyone followed behind, Korrina talking with Alice and Darlene on the way.

They passed through the large room housing the enormous Lucario statue and entered the hallway to the gym. Aura never really paid attention to the hallway before as he was more focused on his gym battle, but this time he realized just how massive the place was with multiple doors leading into separate training rooms where humans and Pokemon alike worked together on special equipment.

"I'm sure you are wondering why I asked for you to come here," Gurkinn started. "The truth is that I had been asked a favor by the Legendary Pokemon Arceus to provide special training for you and your Lucario."

Aura paused, "Arceus asked you?" he looked at Prince for a second, "not to seem disrespectful, but why did she ask you exactly?"

Gurkinn shook his head, "I understand it seems a little odd, especially after she explained the current situation, but I would assume she requested this of me because of my lineage. My ancestors may not have been Aura Guardians like you are, but they were trained in the ways of the Guardians and were eventually the first humans to ever master the art of Mega Evolution." He went on, "I knew I could sense great potential from you when you challenged my granddaughter, so I was happy to accept the task to provide assistance with your training." Gurkinn stopped in front of a pair of double doors and turned around. "Before we begin I must inform you that this will not be simple training. Though I may not be able to provide actual aura training, I was given this task by Arceus herself and I intend to take this seriously. So for the next month I will be helping you and Prince to further progress you training, and if everything works out, you might even learn to harness the power of Mega Evolution like my ancestors."

Turning back around, Gurkinn pushed the doors open to reveal a wide beach facing out toward the vast ocean, "Your training begins now!"

* * *

 **Honestly this chapter has been done for a while now but I guess I completely forgot to upload it. Well at least now I'm a bit ahead on chapters since I have up to chapter 41 written, but I'll space out the upload time so I can hopefully stay ahead a little.**


	40. Chapter 40

**Before the chapter begins, I want to mention the updated cover for the story. I've been meaning to have an image like it made for a while but never could until I recently found a software that allowed me to finally get it done.**

 **This chapter skips ahead a while from the end of last chapter since I wanted to get it finished quicker and also so I wouldn't have to write about so much training and combat since that is probably one of the most common scenes in Pokemon stories.**

* * *

 **Chapter 40: Hello Farewell**

It had been a couple days since their first training session with Gurkinn. The first day wasn't too bad with Aura only leaving with a few aches while Prince wasn't as affected from the strain- thanks to him being a Pokemon. But more recently, after their long training session the prior day, both Aura and Prince were completely worn out from the multiple hours of nothing but physical exercise, like running across the sand while dragging tires and barrels tied to their waists with rope. Despite him being a Lucario, one of the most physically fit and resistant Pokemon around, it almost seemed like Gurkinn's training was actually intended to leave Prince so exhausted.

Last night after their training, Prince and Aura couldn't even walk back to the Pokemon Center on their own and had to be carried. Aura had left everyone's Pokeballs behind like he had been since they got to Shalour, so he couldn't return Prince for the trek back. In the end, Lee supported Prince on his own while Alice and Korrina supported Aura. It took almost twice as long to get back, but they managed. Before they returned to their suite, Alice asked the nurse on duty for a few bottles of painkillers for the worn out duo.

That morning, Aura had trouble getting out of bed from the intense strain in his muscles. Diamond understood that he was in pain, but she continuously urged him to get up and eat something. Eventually, he finally mustered up the strength to slowly push himself up in a sitting position and turn himself so his feet rested on the floor.

"Here." Diamond said, holding out a glass of water in one hand and three pills in the other. "Alice told me to give these to you once you woke up. She said they were painkillers."

One at a time, he popped the pills into his mouth and downed some of the water to help him swallow. "Ahh~ Thanks, Diamond. I feel kinda bad that you're the one taking care of me when you're the one who's pregnant."

It was true that over the past few days her belly has gotten slightly bigger, but Diamond waved it off as no big deal and smiled at her mate. "I'm just ending my third week, so it's not that bad."

Aura groaned as he stood up, Diamond helping him by pulling on his arm. "I still don't want you to overwork yourself, you're the one carrying our baby." Without warning, Aura began to rub Diamond's stomach. "It's still kind of crazy that I'm already gonna be a dad."

Diamond blushed and kissed him on the lips, "You'll be a great dad. I've noticed you started acting more mature too ever since we found out."

Aura shrugged and put his arm around Diamond's shoulders, "Maybe it's just a natural instinct, but I've noticed the same for you too."

With Diamond's support, her and Aura slowly walked out of their room together. When they entered the main room of the suite, Darlene looked up from the couch and waved, "Good morning, sleepyhead. How you feeling?"

Aura forced a smile and grunted, "Still sore as hell but other than that I'm peachy." His mother rolled her eyes and continued watching the show with the others. "Your breakfast is on the table."

Aura thanked her and the couple headed towards the table, although as he started looking around the room, he noticed the absence of a few faces. "Where's Alice, Stan, and Tia?"

Diamond let go of Aura as he sat down. "While you were still sleeping, Alice and Lee took Stan down to the training room for some exercise and Tia decided to go with them." She sat down in the chair next to him while Lilly looked over the couch and continued.

"Stan was saying he didn't feel too well and he was letting off a lot of sparks. After Alice checked him she just said it was a buildup of electricity and he just needed an outlet, so she took him to let out some of his energy."

Aura would have smacked himself in the face if his arms weren't too sore to move that fast. "Agh- I feel like an idiot. I should have been making sure he got enough exercise instead of just having him sit around and do nothing. I've gotta start making sure everyone else gets enough exercise from now on too." He sighed and poked at his food, "How's Prince doing by the way?"

Lilly turned around for a moment. Just as he was the night before, the Lucario quietly lay on the sofa fast asleep. He was given a few extra pillows to help keep him comfortable along with some painkillers to help him sleep through the night. This was actually one of the first times anyone ever saw the loyal Fighting type Pokemon seem so casual and relaxed, in contrast to his usual serious and stoic personality.

Diamond took hold of Aura's arm and lightly tugged, "Don't worry about him right now. Prince is the toughest member of our team, so just focus on getting your own strength back first, okay?"

A wide grin formed on Aura's lips from the way Diamond was treating him was so similar to how he had been treating her these past few weeks. Diamond tilted her head bewildered as to why he was quietly snickering under his breath, but he just waved it off as nothing and started to eat.

Not long after that, the front door of the suite clicked and swung open. Alice stepped inside wearing a casual yellow tank-top and jean-shorts with her green hair done up in a ponytail. Lee walked in beside her while Stan and Tia followed close behind. Upon seeing Aura finally awake, Stan casually headed over to greet their trainer while Tia quietly followed along.

"Morning, Aura!" Stan beamed.

"How are you feeling?" Tia asked.

The two sat on the floor beside the table as Aura turned to them. "I'm doing better than I was last night." He told them with a smile, though honestly his whole body still felt like he had gotten trampled by a herd of angry Tauros. Moving the focus away from himself, Aura set down his fork and asked, "So how was the exercise?"

Stan's eyes lit up as he began to talk about how great it felt to run around for an hour and let off a lot of his pent up energy. He went into great detail about when Alice brought out some of the training dummies and how he let loose so much energy while blasting each of the rubber targets with Electric attacks. The Luxio suddenly paused and briefly glanced at Tia, "And I was also glad that Tia came with," he slightly blushed under his blue fur, "it felt nice having her there to support me." Tia felt her face warm up too as she quickly glanced away with a shy smile.

"By the way, Aura. I think you'll be happy to hear who we ran into on our way back." Alice walked over and pulled a slip of paper from her pocket, she handed it to Aura and stepped back. Aura could already guess who she was talking about before opening the note, and sure enough, Alice confirmed his suspicions. "Diantha wanted me to tell you to meet her in her suite this afternoon to talk."

Aura skimmed over the paper which contained her suite number, and a short note mentioning how she knew he had questions for her. She also asked for him to only bring Diamond along for now, even reminding him this would just be a casual meeting so the formalities were not necessary.

He thanked her and set the note on the table. "Guess I'd better finish eating and get myself cleaned up. I can't imagine I smell too nice after so much training." Aura quickly returned to his breakfast before returning to his bedroom to shower, Diamond deciding to follow and take this time to clean up her fur a little, taking a little extra time to polish her necklace and earrings while Aura dried off and got dressed.

* * *

After Aura had finished his shower and Diamond had smoothed out and groomed her fur, the two walked down the hall to the suite Diantha resided in.

Since Diantha wanted to keep things a little more casual, Aura simply donned a fresh pair of jeans and a dark grey shirt with a simple Pokeball print on the front. Diamond, however, wound up spending an extra hour or so grooming her fur and polishing her necklace and earrings until they practically sparkled in the lighting of the hallway. Thankfully they weren't expected at Diantha's until that afternoon, so Aura had no issues with waiting for her.

Diamond absentmindedly fiddled with her necklace as they walked, her claws clicking against the glimmering stone inside.

"You okay there?" Aura asked.

"Y-yeah. Just a little nervous." She took a breath and drew a little closer to Aura's side.

He cocked his brow slightly, "I don't understand why you'd be nervous. Diantha just wants to talk with us."

Diamond swallowed, "I-I know. I'm just worried about making a mistake that could mess it all up or leave a bad impression for you."

Aura grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. They abruptly stopped in the middle of the hall so he could look her in the eyes as he told her, "Everything will be fine. From what Arceus told us before, I'm sure that Diantha will be understanding if anything _does_ happen. And if you still feel nervous," he paused to pull her into an embrace, his voice falling soft by her ear, "I'll be with you the whole time."

Diamond lifted her arms and grasped the back of his shirt. She pushed her face into his chest and sighed, letting his heartbeat sooth her nerves. "Thank you, Aura."

Diamond may have become far more confident and outgoing over the span of their journey, but even now (the one thing that Aura hopes never changes about her), she is still just as caring and selfless as ever before, worrying more about those around her than her own self.

He smirked and stroked the back of her head. "No problem." Aura could sense the tension around her lift almost entirely, though he could feel some still lingering behind so he decided to lighten the mood just a little more. Once they pulled away, Aura looked at her with a sly grin. "If it's any consolation, I'll let you sit on my lap the whole time." He teased, jerking her closer slightly.

Diamond giggled and playfully pushed his chest, "Maybe some other time." They both laughed and resumed down the hall with their hands locked together.

Stopping at the suite mentioned in the note, Diamond edged closer to Aura whilst he politely knocked on the door. A few seconds later they heard the door unlock and watched as it was pulled open with Diantha standing on the other side.

"Ah, you must be Aura and Diamond." The aged woman stepped back and invited the couple inside, closing the door behind them once they passed through. "It's a pleasure to meet you both." Diantha greeted them with a cheerful smile. "Come, have a seat and we can get started. I understand you have some questions for me."

Aura nodded back, "Thank you very much."

Diantha lead them towards the sofa where a Gardevoir quietly sat with a cup of tea in her hands. Diantha sat herself down beside the Psychic Pokemon and Aura and Diamond sat across from them. "This is my partner, Gardevoir."

Gardevoir set down her teacup on a plate and smiled at the pair, slightly bowing her head with her green bangs lightly swaying, "It is an honour to meet you two." She shifted her attention to Aura for a minute, "Miss Diantha had informed me that you were capable of understanding the natural speech of Pokemon."

Aura smiled and confirmed the Pokemon's statement, "It's nice to meet you, too." He added.

Diantha sipped from her cup and let out a content sigh, "Please, help yourself to some tea. Gardevoir made it herself." They politely thanked them and Aura poured himself and Diamond a cup each, Diamond's ear twitching as the glass clinked in the process.

Diamond wasted no time tasting the herbal drink, just knowing it was made by another Pokemon piqued her interest. Quietly sipping from the small teacup, Diamond shuddered in delight from the distinctly sweet yet bitter flavour of the warm liquid as it slid down her throat. She smiled and looked from her tea to the Pokemon across from her. "This is really good!" She beamed.

Gardevoir smiled modestly and bowed her head, "Thank you very much."

Diantha smiled at the Pokemon and took another short sip of her tea. "Now then, as much as I enjoy the subject of fine tea, we should return to the reason we're meeting." She set down her cup and crossed her legs, "I understand from Lady Arceus that you have a few questions that need answers?"

Aura nodded and set down his own cup, "Yes, there are a couple things I'm curious about." She gave a single nod and urged him to continue. "Well, I guess the first thing I wanna know about is the whole VIP thing? Arceus didn't really explain much about it and said we could ask you more?"

Diantha leaned back and crossed her arms, "This might require some further explaining, you don't mind, do you?" Aura shook his head. "Very well. You see, I've been well aware of you and the Guardians for many years now, ever since Arceus first contacted me and informed me of everything that was going on long before you arrived in Kalos."

"So how much do you know exactly?"

Diantha shrugged and lifted her hand, "I'm afraid I'm not sure exactly how much I truly know, my knowledge of it all is limited to what I was told by Lady Arceus which could very well only be a fraction of a much bigger picture."

Aura gave a half-hearted laugh, "I'm quite familiar with that feeling. Whenever Arceus contacts me she usually keeps things pretty vague and tells me that I'll eventually learn everything I need to when the time comes; in fact, last time she spoke with me and Diamond she kind of explained her reason for that." Aura poured himself another cup of tea, "She wanted me to learn from experience and be more independent instead of always relying on her to give me all the answers. And I honestly feel like that actually made a big impact on how I look at the world."

A proud smirk appeared on the woman's face, "You certainly seem to act more mature for your age."

The corner of Diamond's mouth twitched as she thought back to Aura's little joke in the hallway. She glanced at her mate and giggled, "Sometimes."

Aura turned and looked at her with a slanted scowl that was more joking than serious. "I beg your pardon?" He said in a mocking hurt tone, his scowl breaking into a smirk. Diamond wrapped her paw over her muzzle as she looked away and snickered loudly, only stopping to let out a very short squeak as Aura tugged her against him with a sly grin.

Diantha laughed at their display of affection. Arceus had told her that the young couple would probably behave more reserved or timid during their meeting; however, from what she was witnessing at the moment, the couple seemed to act quite the opposite and were much more comfortable and outgoing with their relationship than she initially anticipated.

"Well you two certainly seem to be happy together. It's almost hard to believe you've only been with each other for a few months." She pointed out.

They turned their attention back to Diantha. Diamond blushed a little from unintentionally interrupting the conversation, while Aura just grinned and shrugged in response. "Sorry about that. But yeah, we've only been together for maybe a little over two months? But it really feels a lot longer than that, like we've both grown a lot overtime. I really can't explain it any differently than we just kind of grown more comfortable with each other, but with Diamond evolving and finding out we're having a kit, I guess that was what finally did it and sparked up something between us."

Diantha nodded. "I completely understand. But the main reason you received that suite in the first place was actually because of your child. When Lady Arceus first informed me of your abilities a few years ago, she asked that I not supply you with any form of special treatment or aide, but after learning Diamond was carrying your child, she came to me again to request a more suitable living arrangement to raise your young. In the end I offered to provide you with a more limited VIP status that would simply allow you and your family full access to Pokemon Centers so you could have a more comfortable place to stay after traveling: which reminds me." Aura and Diamond watched as Diantha suddenly stood up and retreated to one of the bedrooms, soon returning and taking her seat again. She extended her hand out with what appeared to be an ID card between her fingers. "Here. This new Trainer ID card is registered with your updated files and shows that you are recognized by the Pokemon League as an important trainer."

Aura's eyes widened as he slowly reached out and took the plastic card with his information and picture printed on it. "This is amazing! Thank you so much, Diantha!"

The Champion and her Gardevoir smirked, glancing at each other for a moment before returning their gaze to the awe-struck trainer. "Before we get too far, keep in mind that this doesn't make you immune to the law or gives you any special perks other than VIP access to Pokemon Centers across Kalos. Now, is there anything else you would like to discuss?"

Aura slipped the new card into his wallet and shook his head, "I can't really think of anything else at the moment. I was more focused on finding out why we got that suite than anything else really."

Diantha slowly bobbed her head in understanding, "Well I'm glad I could answer that for you. However, I didn't come just for that, I'll still be in the city for a while yet to oversee next months tournament."

Diamond's ears perked up with her teacup paused at her lips. Aura's reaction was quite similar as he blinked at the older woman in bewilderment. "Wait a second. What tournament?"

This actually made Diantha and Gardevoir look at each other in surprise. "You mean you haven't heard of it?" Gardevoir asked.

Aura shook his head. "No, but I am interested."

"Well you are a trainer, and you will be here for a while longer from what I was told." Diantha affirmed. "This tournament is held once every few years where many skilled trainers from around the world are invited to compete for the grand prize. You know Gurkinn, the Mega Evolution Guru, correct?" Aura nodded. "Well for many generations his bloodline has taught hundreds of trainers to master Mega Evolution. Though many trainers are capable of accomplishing such a feat on their own, the chance to train with a master is still a great honour to behold. And in the end, the winner of the tournament is not only given the chance to be trained personally by a master of Mega Evolution, but he or she will also be awarded with a Keystone and Mega Stone of their very own."

Aura and Diamond looked at each other in awe. "Is there any way for Aura to compete?" Diamond asked.

Aura blinked, he was about to interject when Diantha held up her hand, "I'm afraid that because the grand prize is so valuable, the only trainers who are allowed to even compete in the tournament must be given an invitation to do so."

Diamond's ears drooped back, "Oh."

"However," Diantha continued, she dug through her purse and pulled out an envelope, "lucky for you, Aura, I have your invitation right here." The two looked at her in shock as Aura slowly took the paper, "Think of this as a small test of your abilities. Many of these trainers have years of experience so you will certainly be in for a challenge."

Aura smiled and closed his eyes, lowering the letter while lifting his gaze to the Champion, "Thank you for this. I'm not sure if I'm even ready for such a competition, but no point in letting this opportunity go to waste."

The woman nodded, "That's what I like to hear from young trainers. There's no harm in testing yourself." Diantha stood up and looked to the clock on the wall, "We have been talking for quite a while, perhaps it best you return to your own suite for supper." She reached out her hand while Aura and Diamond stood up, the trainer taking her hand in his own, "It was very nice to finally meet you, and I hope you do your best in the tournament."

"Thank you, Diantha."

Aura and Diamond headed to the door, "And if you have any more questions for me, don't be afraid to come visit while you can."

They waved back to her, "Sure thing. Thanks again." Finally, Aura and Diamond exit the suite into the hallway, Aura looking over the invitation he received with a large smirk on his face as they returned to their own residence.

* * *

Immediately after returning from their visit with Diantha, Aura and Diamond told the others all about it and the upcoming tournament over supper. His Pokemon all looking forward to the competition.

While everyone was gathered around the table eating, the door swung open as Dan had finally returned from his classes, the trainer walking in with an enthusiastic skip in his step. "Sorry I'm late everyone." He apologized.

Aura waved his hand, "No problem. But what's got you so excited?"

Dan beamed and hurried to the table, "I'm glad you asked." He practically slapped a flyer down onto the table in excitement, "On my way up I got this flyer from these two girls for a huge fair next week!" He began to point at stuff across the page, "There's gonna be a huge pod of Wailmer and Wailord passing by the coast during their migration so their's gonna be a festival to celebrate."

Alice grabbed the flyer and read more, "That's amazing. It says here the fair will be going for a few days and on the final day the Wailmer and Wailord will pass by at sunset spouting water in the air."

"Sounds like quite the sight." Darlene noted.

When Aura looked up at his friend, he saw Dan's grin suddenly shrink and his gaze face the floor. "Something wrong?"

The trainer sighed and his smile slowly returned, though he still appeared to be feeling rather melancholy as he shook his head. "No, but there is something I have to tell you all." He took a breath before continuing, "On my way back from the class, I got a call from Professor Sycamore." His smile widened, "He told me they might have found a lead on the cure for Missy's illness."

Everyone went wide-eyed. "That's amazing!" Aura exclaimed.

Dan's smile faltered but remained strong, "It really is, but the sad thing is that he needs me to come to Lumiose City so they can run some tests." Everyone grew quiet.

"So. You're leaving?" Diamond asked. Dan nodded.

"Yeah. He said that someone will be waiting at the train station to bring me to the lab… So I came to pack my things and say goodbye."

Aura smiled and stood up, "It's been nice traveling with you, Dan." He held out his hand and Dan took it, "We'll be sure to come see you when we go to Lumiose for the Gym Badge. I wish you and Missy all the best."

Dan blinked away a tear and nodded, "Same to you. And I can't wait to meet your child when they're born." They let go of each others' hands and Dan quickly went to his room to grab his stuff. He returned shortly with his bag over his shoulder, "Looks like this is it… Good luck you guys, I'll be waiting to hear from you."

Aura nodded and thanked his friend.

"Daniel, thank you for keeping Aura company up to this point." Darlene spoke up, "You seem like a good kid, hopefully your Sylveon gets the help she needs."

"Thanks. It was great meeting you too." Something began to beep in Dan's pocket and he quickly pulled out his Pokedex, a little LED on the top flashing blue, "I guess this is it, don't wanna keep them waiting too long. See you all next time." Sliding his Pokedex back in his pocket, Dan headed to the door and waved goodbye to the others, walking into the hallway with high hopes of meeting his friends once again in the future.

He took Missy's ball in his hand and smiled, "After so long. It'll finally be over."

* * *

 **Again I am sorry for the rushed ending, but I've spent too long on this chapter alone.**

 **Honestly I've been planning to have Dan finally leave during this part of the story for a while. I never had any really plan for his character since he was literally added last minute as a traveling companion with Missy being added even more last minute for a reason I can't even remember. It was difficult to keep them constant and give them enough screen time when they were last minute additions so my only option was to eventually let them go for the most part.**

 **I originally was planning to have Sycamore call Dan while Aura was around or have Dan decide on his own to leave for some reason related to Missy, but I'm happy with what I eventually decided on since I have a general plan for where to take it.**

 **So yeah, hope you all enjoyed and I hope to continue soon. ~Aura**


End file.
